The Penguin proved to be a big hit for HBO and Warner Bros./DC Studios, and was met with rare levels of acclaim and awards recognition for a comic book-based project. With this in mind, a second season would seem like a foregone conclusion, but The Penguin happens to find itself in an unusual position.
Now officially listed as a limited series, The Penguin serves as a set-up for Matt Reeves' The Batman sequel, which we haven't had any official updates on in quite a while (production is expected to commence early next year, but this has yet to be confirmed). Reports indicate that the movie's script hasn't even been completed yet, which likely hinders any potential movement on The Penguin season 2.
There's also the question of whether star Colin Farrell will even want to return as Oz Cobb. Though the actor is expected to appear in The Batman sequel, he didn't sound too overjoyed at the prospect of donning the prosthetics again during a 2024 interview.
“I don’t know, man. Don’t get me wrong – I loved it – but it got in on me a little bit. By the end of it, I was bitching and moaning to anyone who would listen to me that I f*cking wanted it to be finished. I tried to remind them that I had ‘grumpy gratitude.’ I was still grateful, and still honored – I grew up watching Burgess Meredith [who played the role in the ’60s TV series], and then Danny DeVito [in Tim Burton’s 1992 film ‘Batman Returns’] was my Penguin – so being a part of the lineage of that storytelling, I really did feel privileged. But by the end of it…”
"f you take what Matt Reeves created and then what Lauren [LeFranc, showrunner] did and what Mike [Marino, prosthetics and make-up designer] did and put them all together, it was a really powerful experience,” he continued. “Lauren said, ‘Look, if I could find a way that makes sense, would you talk about it?’ And I said, ‘Absolutely.’ And maybe in a year I would. But when I finished I was like, ‘I never want to put that f*cking suit and that f*cking head on again.'”
While appearing as a guest on Deadline's Crew Call podcast, showrunner Lauren LeFranc was asked for an update on the status of a second season, and revealed that she's "in the process of exploring what that would be, if there will be more."
"Beyond Colin, it depends on whether there's a story that we can make richer than what we’ve already done," LeFranc went on, appearing to confirm that she does have a season 2 story in mind. "I fully arced everything."
LeFranc also confirmed that subsequent The Batman spin-offs are "in early stages" of development, but didn't reveal any details. Reeves has previously hinted that a legal drama focusing on Harvey Dent, aka Two-Face, might be one possibility, however.
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.