We all hoped that HBO’s The Penguin would be good but did anyone actually expect it to be this good? The people behind the scenes did and now, with the show enjoying success, it could mean just the beginning for Batman’s bad guys appearing on HBO.
“I can tell you this, we would love to be able to do more. But I can also say that we are already talking to HBO about [more],” executive producer Matt Reeves told the Wrap. “The opportunity of being able to then on HBO, go and explore characters that wouldn’t be able to have that kind of real estate creatively, as we were able to do with Oz [Cobb, Colin Farrell’s character], that is something that we are talking to HBO about. They’re very excited about that idea. That’s something that we really, really hope we’re going to be able to do.”
“We’ve got The Batman. We’ve got The Penguin. And who knows what’s next,” Reeves added.
What’s actually next is The Batman Part II which Reeves is prepping for a 2025 shoot and 2026 release. That film will continue the story of The Penguin much like The Penguin continued the story of The Batman and Reeves admits making sure it all fit was difficult.
“It’s this thing where you’re trying to organize it in such a way that the movie hands off to the show,” Reeves said. “We change point-of-view. We do something we can’t have any room really to do at this level in the movies, go on a long-form, deep-dive into Oz’s character, but then hand back off to the next movie and have him enter that story. There was a little bit of air traffic control to manage that, but all of it was to create the space then that would allow us to dig deeply into that character in the way that [showrunner] Lauren [LeFranc] did.”
All of which is to say, if a second Bat-villain show would happen, it seems like it would happen after The Batman Part II. That assumption makes speculation more difficult because, though we know for sure Penguin is in the film, and we assume Riddler (Paul Dano), Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz), and Joker (Barry Keoghan) are in it too, Reeves is sure to introduce new villains as well. And Batman certainly has plenty of those to go around.
You have to imagine, though, if HBO is interested in exploring another Batman villain in long form, it would have to be one with name recognition. Since Penguin has his show and Riddler and Catwoman were explored in the first movie, who else is left? The company wouldn’t dare do a Joker show after what just happened with Joker: Folie à Deux would it? Is there anyone else big enough?
Speculate below and catch up on The Penguin, currently streaming on Max.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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