Batman Part II will feature an appearance by The Penguin. Director Matt Reeves, who is preparing to begin production on the film, confirmed the news while also offering a few teases about the sequel.
“The plan is to shoot next year and now we are finishing the script“, Reeves told SFX magazine (via Deadline).”Colin [Farrell] will be part of the film. We shared [the script] as we've moved forward with DC and the studio, and they're super excited.” The director also explained how the villain will fit into the story, describing The penguin series as an “entry point”.
“[It’s] absolutely connected to where we leave things in the series,” Reeves said. “There are details that actually tie directly into how the next movie begins and how Oz enters that world as we pass the baton back to Batman, and Batman is on another case.“The director also said that he wants “these stories to be a meditation on the way Gotham is the way it is. It's such a brutal place and we're looking for answers about why these people's lives are the way they are.”
Reeves has revealed some plot details
Reeves also offered further insights into the plot of Batman Part II. “[It’s] will delve into an epic tale of deep corruption, and touch on points he couldn't have anticipated in the first book,” he said.The seeds of this direction are all in the first film and they develop in a way that will show you sides of the character you've never seen. Batman is constantly fighting against these forces. But these forces cannot be completely exorcised. So the next film delves deeper into that.”
When asked about other villains who might appear in the film, Reeves said he wants to choose realistic villains. “It was important to me to find a way to take these pop icons, these mythical characters that everyone knows, and translate them in a way that made Gotham feel like a place in our world,” he explained.We could push it to the edge of the fantastic, but we would never enter the complete fantastic. It would have to be quite rooted..”
While the Penguin will appear in The Batman sequel, showrunner Lauren LeFranc says The Dark Knight likely won't be included in the villain-focused series. “I understand why people would want to have Batmanor think that unless Batman is in a show or a movie, then it doesn't have the same impact,” he said. “For me, I think it has a different impact. Matt's films are seen through the lens of Batman. With Oz, you're on the streets of the city, you're in the dust, the mud and the dirt.”
Batman Part II will be released in theaters on October 2, 2026. The penguin will debut on HBO on September 19.
Source: Deadline