One major villain from The Batman is confirmed to return to action in DC Studios' The Batman - Part ll, but it won't be in as big of a capacity. The question of who will be The Batman 2's villain is a prominent one, particularly after so many were introduced in Matt Reeves' first efforts with the Caped Crusader in 2022. Looking at recent reports for the sequel, details about who may be included are coming forward.
Colin Farrell's Oz Cobb/the Penguin will have a smaller role in The Batman 2 than he did in The Batman. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter while promoting The Ballad of a Small Player at the Zurich Film Festival, Farrell confirmed he will return to his role as Oz in The Batman 2. While he said he has "an even smaller role" in the second movie, he is happy with what he has and shared that he has "read the script, from start to finish:"
"I've got an even smaller role in this one. But I’m OK with that…I've read the script, from start to finish."
Along with classic Batman antagonists like the Riddler and Carmine Falcone, the Penguin established his place in this universe's Gotham as a crime lord after working for the Falcone family and getting his own name in the game. However, after playing a relatively minor role in the first movie, Farrell's return might bring even less Oz than many expected.
In 2022's The Batman, Farrell's Penguin only had a handful of scenes, totaling about 10 minutes of screentime for the Oscar nominee. While Farrell did not specify how much screentime he has in the sequel, it seems that it may be less than in his first outing.
The Batman - Part II will be Matt Reeves' second effort with the Caped Crusader and the first movie in DC Studios' slate of Elseworlds movies. Expected to feature Robert Pattinson, Colin Farrell, Andy Serkis, Jeffrey Wright, and Barry Keoghan, Bruce Wayne will have to deal with a flooded Gotham City as new villains rise from the rubble to take the city down. The Batman - Part II is expected to hit theaters on October 1, 2027.
The Penguin's Expected Role in The Batman 2
While Matt Reeves already ruled out a dozen potential villains for The Batman 2, the Penguin is at least confirmed to join the fray for a short time. However, as Farrell is only expected to get a few minutes of screentime in the sequel, fans may only get a passing glance at what he is up to in Gotham in this massive story.
For this next movie, Reeves teased that the villain will be one who has "never really been done in a movie before." This likely rules out iconic antagonists like the Joker, Riddler, Two-Face, and Mr. Freeze, setting the stage for Batman to take on a fight unlike anything any previous Batman movie has done before.
Reeves promised that his second Batman movie would break new ground for the hero, saying that the story would introduce ideas and concepts that have "never been done before in this way."
While story details are sure to be kept under wraps until filming gets going on the sequel in early 2026, DC fans appear set to dive into one of the most unique Dark Knight-centric stories ever put to the big screen.
Richard Nebens joined The Direct in March 2020, now serving as the site's Senior Writer and also working as an assistant editor and content creator. He started his journalism career as a hobby in 2019 and is passionate about sharing news and stories from the entertainment industry, especially comic book movies, comedy, and sci-fi. Richard looks to expand his knowledge about movies and TV every day, and he is eager to stay locked into the latest releases and breaking news at every opportunity.
