While Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) is already set to make The Batman 2 with Robert Pattinson, a new report has teased how it fits into the timeline with both The Batman and its Penguin-centric HBO Max spin-off.
Matt Reeves' The Batman had a huge impact on the DC Universe upon its debut in March 2022, earning over $770 million in box office revenue while gaining excellent reviews from critics and fans. And on top of a sequel being green-lit shortly after the first movie became one of the company's biggest recent hits, it's also set the stage for a whole string of Batman-related projects in development.
The first of these features Colin Farrell as he reprises his role as the Penguin, which will also include director Matt Reeves as he dives into Oswald Cobblepot's solo story on a deeper level. And while it was announced to be in development before The Batman even premiered in theaters, there are still very few details about the adventure that will be told or even where it fits into the DC timeline.
Thankfully, during a new interview with one of WBD's top executives shed some light on one of those questions, confirming how these three entries play out in the timeline.
WB Executive Confirms Penguin's Place in the Timeline
Speaking with Variety, HBO Max head of originals Sarah Aubrey clarified how Colin Farrell's Penguin spin-off fits into the DC timeline along with both of Matt Reeves' The Batman movies.
When asked how it fits into that world, Aubrey noted that the series "will sit immediately after the end of The Batman" and "temporally before" everything that happens in the sequel. Outside of that, she wouldn't offer any details about the story:
“Penguin will sit immediately after the end of The Batman and temporally before the events of the second movie. The show will come out in between the two movies. Now beyond that, it’s fun for the audience to know that it will be a bridge between the two, but the actual release date, I’m not at liberty to say.”
She teased that the show looks to "show what Oz's life is like" on the Gotham streets, showing how he manages to push through the terrain "as a hustler and a strategist with his own ambitions." The series will live on the street level of Gotham, especially since he's not moving around the story the same way that Batman does:
“The goal of this is to show what Oz’s life is like and that’s very much in the streets of Gotham, trying to get up and over as only the Penguin can. As a hustler and a strategist with his own ambitions. It is a great example of having the time over eight episodes to tell a longer-arc character story with a lot of delicious twists and turns and new characters. It’s very much going to be about Gotham at that street level, because he’s not flying around like Batman does. We are all embracing that as a very specific experience for audiences to have.”
The Penguin Ready for DCU Spotlight
Since The Batman left the Penguin alive and well(ish) by the end of its nearly three-hour runtime, there are plenty of unanswered questions about where the mobster's path could take him in future DC projects. There was also the mystery of whether this show would be a prequel or a sequel to the events of The Batman, although this news confirms that the movie will lead almost directly into the show.
While viewers are sure to get some backstory on how Oswald Cobblepot built his name in the Gotham underworld, this series will see him trying to rebuild his status in the city after Batman took down both him and the Riddler.
There's also a real chance that he'll have a much bigger role in The Batman 2, even though that movie may not hit the big screen until at least 2025. But for now, this eight-episode entry will give Colin Farrell the opportunity to give his villain the depth and history that fans have wanted to see since he first made his mark in DC's latest Batman movie.
The Batman is currently streaming on HBO Max. Colin Farrell's Penguin spin-off will begin filming in early 2023, although it doesn't yet have a release date.
