‘He’s not the same character that he was’: Matt Reeves spills on exactly how ‘The Penguin’ will connect to ‘The Batman 2’

The Penguin is over, but the story of Oz Cobb is far from done. In fact, it seems to only be beginning. Fortunately, we know exactly when it’s set to pick back up and that will happen during The Batman 2.

Matt Reeves’s DC universe is one of the most intriguing comic book stories that has been told on screen, and it only jumped to a new level with the release of The Penguin. However, linking together different projects can often become a problem when maintaining not just quality, but also continuity. Fortunately, Reeves already has this all mapped out.

Now that the series is over, Reeves has detailed exactly how The Penguin is going to set the stage for The Batman 2, and it has us more excited than ever before.

“What’s exciting is that he’s [Oz Cobb] is not the same character that he was in the first movie,” Reeves said in a video shared by Rotten Tomatoes. “We now have this entry point where Batman is going to be meeting this character in a different place in his life and that it’s going to again flesh out the picture about the nature of corruption in Gotham and the darkness.”

Reeves then touched on the obvious shift in Gotham, leading to fights and “a hunt or be hunted” type of mindset: “To me, I sort of see all these things as a meditation on this place. A place filled with such desperation but, yet draws people to it. And you see people kind of fighting and struggling to be here and it never seems to get any better despite all efforts, and thank god it doesn’t because then there would be no need for Batman and then we’d all be in trouble because we love Batman.”

Reeves continues explaining how The Batman 2 will continue to dive into the criminal politics that were showcased during The Penguin and showcase the true reason for the perpetual darkness of Gotham.

If that doesn’t sell you on the sequel, then I don’t know what will. One of the best aspects of The Penguin was that it felt like a crime drama more than a superhero movie, and that worked so well for the characters and story that was being told. It’s similar to the reasons so many loved The Batman.

The Batman is a gritty, dark, and surprisingly grounded superhero story that separates itself from all of the other attempts to bring DC Comics’ iconic characters to the big screen. That’s why it’s separated itself as one of the most highly rated Batman movies of all time falling short of the iconic Christopher Nolan movie The Dark Knight—which shouldn’t be surprising.

Details about The Batman 2 have been kept mostly under wraps since it was announced, but what we do know is that Colin Farrell will return as The Penguin. Similarly, Batman will once again be played by Robert Pattinson who surprisingly has been one of the most impressive versions of the Caped Crusader ever on screen.

If you haven’t seen The Batman, or binged through all of The Penguin yet then you can check out both of these productions with a subscription to Max now. You’ve got plenty of time to get through them as The Batman 2 isn’t scheduled to get here until Oct. 2, 2026.