Summary:
- Matt Reeves confirmed that The Batman is part of a planned trilogy, with The Batman Part II continuing Bruce Wayne’s journey.
- He also revealed that The Penguin series will explore Oswald Cobblepot’s rise to power without altering the core trajectory of the films.
In a recent interview with Collider, Matt Reeves confirmed that The Batman was always envisioned as part of a larger trilogy, and The Batman Part II is just another chapter in the ongoing saga of the Dark Knight.
Despite some adjustments along the way, Reeves reassured fans that his original plan remains intact.
When asked about the trilogy, Reeves confidently responded, “Yes, that is still the plan,” emphasizing that the storyline is staying “very closely to the path we envisioned.”
The success of The Batman raised questions about whether the introduction of The Penguin spin-off series would impact Reeves’ long-term vision. Colin Farrell will reprise his role as Oswald Cobblepot in the series, which will continue his rise to power after the events of The Batman.
Reeves explained that the spin-off allows him to explore characters like Penguin in more depth without altering the trilogy’s overall direction.
“Things kind of shifted. So, when we came up with the idea to do The Penguin , that was something where I had always intended to continue Penguin’s story and wanted to tell this story of his beginning rise to power.”
Because we know that he’s introduced in The Batman as a kind of mid-level, sort of overlooked, mocked figure, who’s not yet in anyone’s eyes the kingpin we come to know him as in the lore.
And so, that was deliberate because I wanted— whereas it wasn’t Batman’s origin story, I wanted the origin stories of these other characters, of the Rogues Gallery and that story was originally going to be the entrée into the next movie,” he explained.
In discussions with HBO executives, Reeves was encouraged not to hold back on storytelling and to expand Gotham’s world through the Penguin series.
Set just a week after the events of The Batman, the show delves into Oswald Cobblepot’s journey as he seizes power in the vacuum left by Carmine Falcone‘s death.
“One of the things that Casey said was ‘God you know I’m really excited about what you’re doing in the movies too, we’d love you to do something in the series that’s like one of these marquee characters, don’t horde, don’t save everything just for the theatrical experience.’
“And I said, ‘Well, let me tell you what I wanted to do as the next sort of leg of this story as an entrée into the next movie.’ I wanted to, basically in the wake of what’s happened at the end of the first movie, Carmine Falcone is dead, he’s had power for 20 years.”
“And now, in the power vacuum, as Selina says to him, it’s going to get bloody. And this is the moment where Rob as Batman is narrating at the end of the movie, some people will seize the chance to grab anything they can.”
“And that is Oz. It was kind of like imagining almost for that story an aspect kind of like a Scarface story, like a ganster story. And Casey was like, ‘That’s the series we want. That’s the series.'” (via Collider)
Reeves likened the story to a gangster saga, reminiscent of Scarface, unfolding in the weeks leading up to the end of the year.
This approach gives Reeves the opportunity to flesh out Gotham’s criminal underworld while keeping Bruce Wayne’s journey central to the films.
As fans await The Batman Part II, Reeves assures that the Dark Knight‘s story is far from over. The Penguin premieres on HBO on September 19, while The Batman is currently available to stream on Max.
