A new featurette for HBO’s The Penguin teases a new side of Gotham City that audiences have never seen before. Starring Colin Farrell as the titular Batman villain, the new 8-episode series sees Oz Cobblepot attempt to seize power from the fractured crime families ruling over Gotham’s underbelly. The Penguin is closely tied to Matt Reeves’ The Batman, taking place just days after the movie’s events, which left half of Gotham flooded.
In the featurette, Collin Farrel, The Batman director, Matt Reeves, showrunner Lauren Le Franc, and executive producer, Dylan Clark, explained how the series ties into The Batman, and the new opportunities it presented them in showcasing Gotham’s unseen elements. While Batman protects Gotham from low-down criminals, he does so from the perspective of an upper-class citizen. The Penguin explores the people that truly live in the areas that Batman patrols, and those who were most greatly affected by The Riddler’s floods. “It’s an extension of The Batman film. It’s exploring a very different world. Whereas Batman lived in the upper echelons of the social structure of Gotham, this is down in the gutter,” said Colin Farrell. Dylan Clark then explained:
“You got to see a different side of Gotham. Those that are really affected by the corruption of the city.”
As well as introducing audiences to Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne, Matt Reeves did something that no other Batman director had done before; exploring Bruce Wayne’s identity through his class and privilege. As noble hearted as Batman’s pursuit may be, he is only able to dedicate himself to that life-style because of his extreme wealth. This is something that Reeves is looking to explore in all entries of his The Batman universe, including The Penguin. The director said:
“To me, what was very important is this idea of the high and the low. The idea of the parts of the city that are insulated. And then the people who are struggling, just day to day, to get by. The Penguin is really looking at the profound corruption of Gotham.”
Class and Corruption Will Be a Theme in The Batman Part II
Played by Paul Dano, The Riddller was a tool for Matt Reeves to begin exploring the corruption and class divide of Gotham in The Batman. Few plot details have been revealed about The Batman Part II. However, the director has confirmed the second movie will expand upon those themes, pitting Bruce Wayne against a new kind of enemy. Reeves said:
“It’s going to dig into the epic story about deeper corruption and it goes into places [Bruce Wayne] couldn’t even anticipate in the first one.”
Reeves didn’t explicitly state who The Batman Part II‘s villain would be. This has been a point of contention on the internet since the release of The Batman. Initial reports suggested that Clayface would be the main villain, but Reeves recently stated that his Gotham won’t feature any fantastical creatures or characters (there’s still hope for Condiment King!). Fans are now speculating that the Court of Owls will be the next big villain in The Batman Part II. The Court act as Gotham’s underground Illuminati, comprised of the richest people in the city, who secretly pull all the strings.
The Penguin
premieres on HBO and Max on September 19. New episodes will be released weekly.
