Matt Reeves' The Batman spin-off series, The Penguin, officially received an R-rating.
Set to release on Max in 2024, the eight-episode DC series starring Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot aka the Penguin is expected to bridge Robert Pattinson's The Batman and its upcoming sequel, The Batman - Part 2.
The Batman Spin-off Earns R-Rating
The Max page for The Penguin has listed the series with a TV-MA rating (the television equivalent of an R-rating).
While now confirmed, the rating was expected.
In addition to footage from the set suggesting the use of mature dialogue, other original Max series - like The Last of Us and Game of Thrones - typically feature the TV-MA rating.
Still, the equivalent of an R-rating is a departure from The Batman which is rated PG-13, even though studio insiders believed the Matt Reeves film should've been rated R.
In addition to Colin Farrell who's reprising his nefarious 2022 role, The Penguin's listing on Max included the series' additional stars, such as Cristin Miloti as Sofia Falcone, Michael Kelly, Clancy Brown as Salvatore Maroni, Craig Walker, and Theo Rossi.
Max also confirmed the series genre as "crime, drama."
Will The Batman 2 Be Rated R?
Due to the dark tones of The Batman, coupled with The Penguin releasing on Max (formerly HBO Max), again, this TV-MA rating is no surprise.
But now that a new chapter of the Robert Pattinson-led crime saga is rated R, no doubt fans will wonder whether The Batman - Part 2 will follow suit.
While it's possible, it's also highly unlikely.
First of all, a PG-13 rating allows for a broader audience and possibly higher yield at the box office, the latter which The Penguin doesn't have to concern itself with.
Granted, there have been several financially successful R-rated comic book movies in recent years, such as Deadpool and Logan.
However, in a 2022 interview, Matt Reeves claimed The Batman "was always" going to be PG-13, and he was "happy we got the rating:"
"In my mind, the movie was always going to be a gritty, edgy, noir, thrilling spectacle that was PG-13. That was always what it was, but I always knew that we’d be pushing the limits of what that could be, and so we didn’t really have to cut anything… I’m happy we got the rating because I want people to be able to come to see the movie.”
Whether The Penguin will change Reeves' tune remains to be seen and is a question the director is sure to be asked ahead of The Batman - Part 2's debut.
But right now, the bigger question is just when fans will see the spin-off and the sequel.
Reports claim The Penguin's production has been shut down indefinitely due to the WGA writer's strike. Not only could the current circumstances - and the potential for further strikes - delay the series but possibly production on Pattinson's The Batman sequel.
The Penguin is still expected to debut on Max in 2024.
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