The Penguin, Max's upcoming spin-off focusing on Colin Farrell's take on classic DC Comics villain "Oz Cobb," takes place very soon after the events of Matt Reeves' The Batman, focusing on the titular gangster as he attempts to establish himself as Gotham City's new crime boss.
When the series was first announced, we were told that an appearance from Batman himself was unlikely, but since then, several reliable sources have claimed that Robert Pattinson is set to reprise his role for at least one episode.
It seems these reports were inaccurate, however, as director Matt Reeves has now refuted rumors that the Dark Knight will have a presence in the show.
“I don’t feel like it’s missing something fundamental,” the filmmaker tells SFX. “I feel like it’s an extension of what is fundamentally there. We know this is the world of Batman. You’re going down a different alley. So the spectre of Batman is there. The spectre of the Riddler is there. The spectre of everything that happens in the last movie is there. It informs it. And it’s exactly where we begin.”
“Matt’s films are through the lens of the Batman, so you’re high up, looking down on the city,” adds showrunner Lauren LeFranc. “It’s a different perspective. With Oz, you’re in the city streets, you’re in the grit and the muck and the grime. He’s looking up, wanting to claw his way to the top. I think Gotham is an interesting enough city that it deserves to have more doors unlocked within it, and for us to walk through those and see what we think.”
It's worth keeping in mind that this wouldn't be the first time a director/producer has denied a big rumor like this, only for fans to realize that they'd been lying their asses off once the movie/show comes out! Still, it's understandable that they'd want to keep a few surprises under wraps, and giving a more ambiguous "you'll have to wait and see" type response is always a dead giveaway.
What do you think? Are Reeves and LeFranc on the level here, or will the Caped Crusader drop in to check up on Oz at some point?
Max recently released a full trailer for The Penguin, which you can check out below.
The Penguin also stars Cristin Milioti (Sofia Falcone), Rhenzy Feliz (Victor Aguilar), Michael Kelly (Johnny Viti), Shohreh Aghdashloo (Nadia Maroni), Deirdre O’Connell (Francis Cobb), Clancy Brown (Salvatore Maroni), James Madio (Milos Grapa), Scott Cohen (Luca Falcone), Michael Zegen (Alberto Falcone), Carmen Ejogo (Eve Karlo), and Theo Rossi (Dr. Julian Rush).
The eight-episode DC Studios drama series continues The Batman epic crime saga that filmmaker Matt Reeves began with Warner Bros. Pictures’ global blockbuster The Batman, and centers on the character played by Farrell in the film.
The series is executive produced by Matt Reeves, Dylan Clark, Colin Farrell, Lauren LeFranc, who writes and serves as showrunner, Craig Zobel, who directs the first three episodes, and Bill Carraro. Based on characters created for DC by Bob Kane with Bill Finger, the show is produced by Reeves’ 6th & Idaho Productions and Dylan Clark Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, where Reeves and 6th & Idaho are under an overall deal. Daniel Pipski also serves as executive producer.