The Batman featured a tense exchange between Lieutenant Jim Gordon and Oz Cobb, and we're sure the incorruptible GCPD officer will be as shocked as anyone to learn that the mobster is now Gotham City's Kingpin.
The Penguin TV series was a 10/10 series in the eyes of most fans but the absence of characters like Batman and Gordon was undeniably distracting. While The Batman Part II might explain their absence, a cameo from one of both in the HBO series would have been welcomed and gone a long way in creating a greater feeling of connectivity.
Talking to Inverse, Jim Gordon actor Jeffrey Wright confirmed, "There was no talk of my being in this first season." Asked if he'd be on board for a potential second season, the actor replied, "Who knows? We'll see what happens down the line, but I'm juggling enough balls as it is."
HBO is said to be keen for The Penguin to continue and it's widely believed that another season of the show could bridge the gap between Matt Reeves' next big screen instalments of The Batman trilogy.
Wright will return as Gordon in those movies but is currently in the dark about the filmmaker's Part II plans. "I'm excited about getting back there, but you probably know as much as I know," he admitted. "I haven't read anything. I haven't talked to Matt for a while. He's been off doing his thing, I've been off doing mine. But I look forward to getting back there."
"There's a lot to explore," Wright continued. "I think the vision that [Reeves] has of Gotham is a really wonderful one, really rich and kind of grimy in the best way."
Gordon will likely continue to be a pivotal part of "The Batman Epic Crime Saga" and we'd bet the Lieutenant was responsible for lighting the Bat-Signal in the closing moments of The Penguin's finale.
In related news, a clip of Farrell fully transformed into Oz Cobb but talking in his normal voice after wrapping work on The Penguin has gone viral this week. You can check that out in the player below.
The Penguin's cast includes Colin Farrell (Oz Cobblepot), 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 series is executive produced by Matt Reeves, Dylan Clark, Colin Farrell, Lauren LeFranc, who writes and serves as showrunner, Craig Zobel, and Bill Carraro.
Based on characters created for DC by Bob Kane with Bill Finger, The Penguin 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.
All episodes of The Penguin are now streaming on Max.