Photo: Macall Polay/HBO
Colin Farrell reprises his role as Oz Cobb, also known as Penguin, in HBO’s The Penguin. Fans were first introduced to him in this iconic role in The Batman. His performance was highly praised and stuck out in the film due to the heavy use of prosthetics and the fact that the actor looks nothing like himself.
The new series premieres on Thursday, September 19 on both HBO and Max.
The Penguin showrunner and writer, Lauren LeFranc, worked closely with The Batman director, Matt Reeves. She knew that the story would be a connective tissue between the two films, which is very apparent in watching the series. This is absolutely set in the same dark and gritty Gotham, the very same world that The Batman and The Batman Part II are.
It has been said that The Penguin will serve as the connective tissue between The Batman and the upcoming The Batman Part II, something that is very apparent after watching the series.
Don’t worry, no spoilers here, but The Penguin showcases major events of The Batman and sets up some things that are sure to be mentioned in The Batman Part II.
While Robert Pattinson’s Batman never shows up in the series, he certainly could have. Perhaps even should have. Some serious things are going down in Gotham and it is hard to believe that he would not show up to investigate. This leads me to believe that he will be asking questions to Oz Cobb about these events in The Batman Part II – or will at least acknowledge them.
The Penguin is a deep exploration of human nature. It follows the descent of Oz Cobb from a criminal lowlife, to one of the most dangerous, violent, and vindictive figureheads of the underbelly of Gotham. The series is fantastic. It is dark. It is gritty. It is ground level. There are some of the best action sequences in any DC project in this television series. You do not want to miss it.
Several DC comic book characters show up, even if for just a scene or two, that will have readers thrilled. But this series is about Oz Cobb (Colin Farrell) and Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti). Both are phenomenal, whether they are working together or going head-to-head. It would be a complete surprise if this rivalry does not affect The Batman Part II. There is no way that Batman, one of the greatest DC heroes and a fantastic detective, did not pick up on the events that were occurring. Surely, he had a lot going on after major explosions rocked the city, but he would not abandon his crime-fighting ways and always has an ear to the ground.
While we do not know for certain, it would be a complete surprise if Penguin is not in The Batman Part II. The events of his series set him up to be one of the most powerful villains in Gotham City, so it would make sense to see him as Batman’s main villain in the sequel film. If he is not the main villain, it would be surprising if he is not at least in the beginning of The Batman Part II.
About The Penguin
Starring Colin Farrell as Oz Cobb (aka The Penguin), the eight-episode DC Studios series continues filmmaker Matt Reeves’ The Batman epic crime saga that began with Warner Bros. Pictures’ global blockbuster The Batman. Developed by showrunner Lauren LeFranc, the series centers on the character played by Farrell in the film.
The HBO Original limited series The Penguin series premieres on Thursday, September 19 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and will be available to stream on Max. New episodes will then debut on Sunday nights at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and Max, continuing with episode two on Sunday, September 29.
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Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. She owns Mama’s Geeky, but also is a freelance writer. Tessa has been in the Entertainment writing business for more than ten years and is a member of several Critics Associations including the Critics Choice Association. Her passion for film, television, video games, and comic books started when she was a little girl and has only continued to grow.