The Batman Epic Crime Saga may not be an official, canon part of the DC Universe, but Matt Reeves’ Batman (Robert Pattinson) and his host of villains are just getting started. With HBO’s limited series, The Penguin, Reeves and his collaborators got the chance to explore their version of Gotham City while paving the way for The Batman II. Reeves is hard at work writing the sequel, which will hopefully hit theaters in 2026. But he’s also looking for ways to expand the Crime Saga further, and the key may lie with The Penguin.
The eight-episode miniseries is just one of a handful of projects Reeves has planned for his Batman franchise, each revolving around a member of the hero’s rogues’ gallery. It was originally touted as a limited series, but after so much critical acclaim, HBO and DC would be silly not to try for another season. According to Reeves, conversations have already begun: the director is working on a way forward alongside producing partner Dylan Clark, The Penguin showrunner Lauren LeFranc, and star Colin Farrell.
“We’re talking to Lauren about doing another season,” Reeves recently told The Batman star Zoë Kravitz. “I just feel really fortunate. These characters don’t belong to me; they belong to the world. It comes down to whether you can approach them in a way that expresses something personal.”
LeFranc and Farrell have each expressed tentative interest in returning for a new season of The Penguin, but the story has to be right.
“I think that in order to do a second season, we have to feel like we can top ourselves,” LeFranc told The Direct in November. “Gotham City is just such a fun sandbox to play, and I’d love to keep playing in it, but I think it just has to be the right thing. We should never do anything just to do it ... We have to feel like there’s something more there to really dig into.”
The Penguin set up a story that will continue in The Batman II, but there’s no telling where the franchise will go after that. All we know for sure is that the Epic Crime Saga will soon include a film about the shapeshifting villain Clayface produced by Reeves and written by horror veteran Mike Flanagan. After that, anything can happen, so let’s hope Reeves and LeFranc can find another place for the Penguin in this growing universe.
