Despite the changes Warner Bros. Discovery and DC Studios are making to the DCU, Matt Reeves’ The Batman franchise will continue.
Matt Reeves’ The Batman franchise has been spared the numerous cancellations that Warner Discovery and DC Studios have executed with the confirmation of The Batman II and the series starring The Penguin. Although we don’t know if Matt Reeves’ ambitious plan for several television series destined for HBO Max starring the villains of the caped crusader will come to fruition,
The Penguin series begins production this year and Colin Farrell will reprise his role as “Oz” for fill in some of the gaps between The Batman movies as his villain rises to power in Gotham City’s underworld.
During a recent interview with Variety, the actor answered a couple of questions about the series, confirming the number of episodes it will have. “It’s going to be an eight-part thing,” says the Irish actor. “Around Oz’s rise to power, filling that power vacuum created when Falcone was killed.”
“Matt’s idea was for the Penguin show to start about a week after the end of the Batman movie. And if it works, if the trajectory is interesting, and the audience accepts it, and we do our job well, the second (Batman) will pick up where the HBO show left off.”
Plans for a trilogy
It is believed that Matt Reeves intends to at least do a trilogy of movies and, despite the introduction of the Joker, we can’t help but wonder if the idea is to establish the Penguin as Batman’s true big bad. Whichever the case, with DC Studios developing The Brave and the Bold, it will be interesting to see how these separate franchises complement each other.
As for the Penguin, it sounds like a series with a lot of potential and we expect at least one cameo from Robert Pattinson’s Caped Crusader at some point in the series, although it’s clear that the references will be there.
The Batman II will be released in theaters on October 3, 2025. While The Penguin will arrive sometime next year.
