The Penguin proved to be a huge hit for DC and Warner Bros. last year. Airing on HBO and Max, the drama series elevated itself beyond the average comic book adaptation, garnering massive critical acclaim and even some Emmys. So, are we going to get more of Colin Farrell’s Oz Cobb on the small screen? At the very least, HBO isn’t ready to rule it out.
The decision ultimately comes down to Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO and Max Content, as well as James Gunn and Peter Safran, the heads of DC Studios. Where they stand remains to be seen. In a recent conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Sarah Aubrey, who heads up IP for HBO and Max, recently addressed The Penguin season 2 though. Per Aubrey, even though it was originally thought of as a limited series, that could change. Here’s what she had to say about it.
“Look, [we’re] using the model that Casey and Frannie [HBO head of Drama Francesca Orsi] have deployed many times over many successful limited series: if there is more story to tell, and there may be in that world. But you don’t want to follow up something excellent with something less excellent. And it took a very long time to get this show made and we had many different iterations, so I’m just like, ‘Can I please just enjoy this for a second?!’ But as we say, we never shut the door.”
The Penguin picked up where The Batman left off and helped set up director Matt Reeves’ long-awaited The Batman Part II. The sequel has been delayed multiple times and is currently set for an October 2027 release date. That means it will be five years between installments. In all likelihood, a second season of The Penguin wouldn’t happen until after the sequel is done. So, at the very least, it’s going to be a while.
Here is the synopsis for The Penguin
“The next chapter in The Batman saga, this crime drama follows Oswald “Oz” Cobb’s quest for power and control in Gotham City.
“I don’t want it. I don’t not want it,” Farrell recently said to Variety of a possible second season of The Penguin. We all left it in the ring in those eight hours. I would hate to, just because of a quote-unquote success, have to go again and for it to be a diluted version of what people seem to feel it is, majoritively. So I’m in no rush. I have no deep desire to do it. … Sure, if they think of something that works in conjunction as a parallel to Matt Reeves’ cinematic universe and it’s a good idea, I’m open to it. But it’s not something concerning me.”
As for The Batman Part II, filming is set to begin later this year. One thing we know for sure is that Robert Pattinson isn’t going to be the Batman in the new DC Universe. Does that mean that Gunn and Safran are going to want to wrap up Reeves’ Batman universe sooner rather than later? Does that hurt the chances for a second season of The Penguin? These are all big questions that remain. We’ll see how it all shakes out.
The Batman Part II is currently set to hit theaters on October 1, 2027.
What do you think? Would you like to see another season of the show? Or do you think it’s best left alone? Join in on the conversation over on Facebook or Twitter!
