The idea of a second season of HBO Max's hit streaming series The Penguin has been a hot button topic since the show premiered in 2024. Though fans are hungry for it, The Penguin showrunner Lauren LaFranc says that if a second season is ever going to happen, it'll have to wait till after Oz Cobb appears in 2027's The Batman Part 2 (via The Hollywood Reporter).
"I don't know. There's no current status update. I think Matt just turned in his script (for The Batman Part II), so I'm excited to read that soon and see what comes of that - if there is anything there that merits a second season [of The Penguin] or not," LeFranc tells THR.
"I think we've said this before, but I truly mean it: We have to feel confident we can top ourselves, and that's something that's really important to Colin Farrell and me, especially," she continues. "Otherwise, we don't want to do something again if it's not going to be excellent. We were always meant to be a limited series. So, pivoting to a second season is just different - it's not something we ever really talked about."
The Penguin, which has garnered a whopping 24 Emmy nominations, was a massive success both critically and with fans, thanks in large part to star Colin Farrell's captivating performance as Oz Cobb in his rise to the top of the Gotham City underworld.
The Penguin spun out of The Batman, where Farrell made his debut as the character, and his story will continue into The Batman Part II. Though the plot of the film is still under wraps, Oz Cobb's return in The Batman Part II will likely follow up directly on the ending of The Penguin, in which Oz finally claws his way to being the top crime boss in Gotham.
"The intention of our first season always was, we're launching Oz into the second film, and so we couldn't air a second season until after Matt's movie comes out," LeFranc states.
Farrell himself has previously stated that he's unsure whether a second season of The Penguin would ever happen. Meanwhile, though it's still totally up in the air, LeFranc has revealed that she is working on ideas for what The Penguin season 2 could entail.
The Batman Part II is scheduled for an October 1, 2027 release. While we wait, stay up to date on all the upcoming DC movies and shows in the works.
