Colin Farrell Reveals Betting Odds for The Penguin Season 2, And How The Show Leads Into The Batman Sequel

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Speaking with ComicBook while promoting his film The Ballad of a Small Player (streaming on Netflix October 29th), Farrell addressed the possibility of The Penguin Season 2. “Oh, I don’t know. I have a bit of a, generally speaking, I have a bit of a negativity bias. Apparently, I’ve been told by various people close to me,” he said. “So I would say I would bet against, but not by much. I know that the powers that be are thinking of storylines that could justify another eight hours because it all goes off Matt Reeves’s world. It conveniently worked that the death at the end of The Batman and the devastation within Gotham opened up a power vacuum that then Oz could try and capitalize on. That was perfect for the parallel eight hours that we had. And then [The Batman Part II] will pick up, whatever, a few weeks after the show ended. But I kind of bet against, but not by a wide mark.”

Does The Penguin Season 2 Need to Happen After The Batman Part II?

Image Courtesy of HBO Max

Though Farrell is currently betting against The Penguin Season 2 happening, fans are likely hoping he’s wrong. Late last month, the actor shed light on Penguin’s role in The Batman Part II, confirming the villain plays a smaller part than the one he had in The Batman. That update was surprising, as many assumed The Penguin was setting up a more significant role for its titular character in the movie sequel. Oz Cobb was only a secondary antagonist with a handful of scenes in the first film, and it sounds like it’s going to be more of the same in the follow-up. At least for now, Penguin won’t be the main focus.

Furthermore, Reeves has confirmed Milioti won’t be reprising her fan-favorite character Sofia Gigante in The Batman Part II. The director chalked that development up to timing, noting that the scripts for both The Penguin and The Batman 2 were being worked on at the same time. By the time The Penguin came out and Sofia became a beloved character, the story for The Batman Part II was already in full swing. That explanation makes sense, but it’s still disappointing since many are eager to see Sofia return in some capacity. The Penguin ended with Sofia receiving a letter from her half-sister Selina Kyle, teasing a future meeting between those two.

With such a minimal presence of Penguin elements in The Batman Part II, some fans have taken a stance that The Penguin Season 2 is necessary now. Reeves has made a point to say his Batman films will (understandably) concentrate primarily on Bruce Wayne, which means there won’t be as much breathing room to do a deep dive in other characters. One of the reasons why The Penguin was so great is that it was able to take its time and fully flesh out a supporting villain from The Batman, turning a memorable scene stealer into a well-realized character. Whenever Oz is on screen in The Batman Part II, it’ll be impossible to not think about all the twists and turns on The Penguin, illustrating the benefit of doing the TV show.

Reeves still plans to make a third Batman movie, so there’s always a chance Oz and/or Sofia could have a substantial role in that film. But The Batman Part III is years away from happening, and it would be frustrating to fans to have to wait that long to see more of those two in the spotlight. Making The Penguin Season 2 in the interim would be a great way to continue these character arcs in a meaningful way, perhaps setting the stage for the trilogy’s finale. After The Penguin did such a fantastic job drawing viewers in to its captivating, Sopranos-esque tale, it’d be a wasted opportunity if Sofia was shelved for an extended period of time. However, Farrell is right in saying The Penguin should only continue if the story justifies it. The ending of The Batman was the perfect set-up for The Penguin, so maybe the sequel will have a similar dangling thread to latch onto.

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