The Penguin Season 2 Has An Official Update From The Batman Director Matt Reeves

Whoa, take it easy, sweetheart! Practically ever since the moment the credits began rolling on 2022's "The Batman," fans everywhere cried out for more of Colin Farrell's ferocious gangster Oswald Cobb. Those demands were met (and then some) with the HBO spin-off series "The Penguin" — actually, make that the Emmy Award-winning "The Penguin," following its victories in nine separate categories at this year's ceremony. 

Naturally, the interest surrounding the show has only increased to a fever pitch. Not only is there a sizeable portion of the fanbase invested in a possible crossover, particularly involving Cristin Milioti's Sofia Falcone Gigante appearing in "The Batman: Part II." But since Farrell's role in the blockbuster sequel isn't expected to amount to much, what about another season of "The Penguin"?

We finally have some promising news on that front. While making an appearance on the star-studded red carpet for the Emmy Awards, "The Batman" director Matt Reeves provided a long-awaited update on "The Penguin" season 2. Farrell has previously commented on what it would take to get him to don the prosthetics and makeup once more as Oz, but this marks the closest we've ever been to outright confirmation of more episodes to come. While speaking to Variety, Reeves gave an update from the creative team's side:

"We're in discussions. [Showrunner] Lauren [Lefranc] is thinking hard and we're talking, so we'll see. We love the show, and we think our cast is so incredible. The work that Lauren and the writers did was incredible. Our passion was in it, but never in our wildest dreams could we imagine it would have been received in the way that it was."

Who says awards season doesn't matter? As much as some of us like to gripe about this time of the year, there's no denying the fact that the biggest names in the business — and, most importantly, the biggest industry decisionmakers — pay close attention to the movies and shows that garner critical acclaim and industry plaudits. That's a long-winded way of saying that, even though Matt Reeves' comments were delivered prior to "The Penguin" enjoying a strong showing at the Emmys, it certainly doesn't hurt its case for the studio moving forward with a second season. It takes a surprising amount of coordinated, behind-the-scenes effort between the studio (both HBO and Warner Bros. Discovery proper), the creative team (in this case, showrunner Lauren LeFranc and executive producer Reeves), and the cast (all of whom have busy schedules) to make anything concrete happen. But reading between Reeves' lines, it sure seems like an official announcement could simply be a matter of time.

That's quite a journey for a show that Colin Farrell himself once feared could've been cancelled before it ever even got off the ground. While nobody ever sets out to make outright trash, it's hard to believe that even HBO's head honchos anticipated "The Penguin" garnering as much love as it has. Much of that rests on the shoulders of Farrell, of course, but how about Cristin Milioti's Emmy-winning performance as the villainous (and villainess) Sofia? While her return in "The Batman: Part II" doesn't appear to be in the cards due to timing, nothing theoretically precludes her once again reprising her role in a second season.

Unfortunately, fans will have to wait quite a bit before that ever becomes a reality. "The Batman" sequel obviously takes precedence and, after quite a bit of delays, is only scheduled to arrive in theaters in 2027. Any subsequent season of "The Penguin" would necessarily have to arrive afterwards, likely with plenty of breathing room in between the two productions. For now, we'll happily settle for this update on season 2. 

"The Penguin" is currently streaming on HBO Max.