Colin Farrell has confirmed that The Batman Part II will pick up only a few weeks after the conclusion of The Penguin, the HBO Max spin-off series in which he reprises his role as Gotham’s crime lord Oswald “Oz” Cobblepot. Speaking to ComicBook, Farrell said that while discussions about a potential second season of The Penguin have taken place, a follow-up seems unlikely for now.
“I would bet against it, but not by much,” Farrell said, noting that the creative team has explored ideas that could justify another eight episodes. He explained that the story of The Penguin was designed to bridge directly into Matt Reeves’ The Batman universe, following the chaos left by the death and destruction seen at the end of the first film. “That was perfect for the parallel eight hours that we had,” he added. “And then The Batman Part II will pick up a few weeks after the show ended.”
The Penguin series, which follows Oz’s rise amid Gotham’s criminal power vacuum, earned widespread critical praise and multiple Emmy wins, but was always billed as a limited series. Its finale left several threads unresolved — including a message sent by Sofia Falcone’s half-sister Selina Kyle (Catwoman) — though Farrell’s comments suggest any continuation will unfold on the big screen rather than in a second season.
Farrell has also indicated that his own role in The Batman Part II will be smaller than before, telling The Hollywood Reporter that while his screen time is limited, he believes director Matt Reeves has crafted “something deeper and scarier” than the first film, with higher emotional and narrative stakes. Reeves has teased that the upcoming sequel will introduce a major villain “never really seen in a Batman movie before,” hinting at a shift away from Barry Keoghan’s brief Joker appearance at the end of the 2022 film.
The Batman Part II is scheduled to hit theaters on October 1, 2027 — five years after Robert Pattinson first debuted as the Dark Knight. With The Penguin now concluded and Reeves’ follow-up in production, fans can expect a direct narrative continuation that expands on the grim, grounded world introduced in the original.
