The Batman Part II: James Gunn Reveals His Current Involvement

James Gunn and Peter Safran were tapped to be the co-chairs and co-CEOs of DC Studios last year, which means Gunn is involved with many upcoming projects. While he's fully hands-on with Superman: Legacy, DC fans are wondering how involved he is with some of the studio's other projects. For example, Matt Reeves' The Batman is getting a sequel in 2025 that will see the return of Robert Pattison as the titular hero, and Gunn is credited as an executive producer. However, the movie is not set in the same universe as Gunn's rebooted DCU. While answering fan questions on Threads, Gunn addressed his current involvement.  

"What about The Batman 2? Have you read any drafts or heard of any developments?" one fan asked. "I heard a pitch. No script yet," Gunn replied. 

"Matt is working on Batman 2, which he thinks of it as a Batman crime saga, which also includes the Penguin TV series," Gunn previously said when asked about the project. "And it is its own thing, and he's hard at work on that. He came in and pitched us some amazing, really cool stuff the other day. Our plan is for that to continue."

Safran added, "Batman's not a stepchild. I mean, it's all under DC. We are fully invested in the success of the Batman, just like we are everything else."

"But of course, everything's going to be balanced," Gunn concluded. "So The Brave and the Bold is not going to be coming out in the same six-month period as Batman."

What Is The Penguin About?

While fans have a bit of a wait for The Batman Part II, the spinoff series that sees Colin Farrell returning as Oswald "Oz" Cobblepot is coming next year. According to Max's Sarah Aubrey, The Penguin is going to further flesh out the seedy underbelly of Gotham and Oswald's inner circle.

"The goal of this show is to what Oz's life is like and that's very much in the streets of Gotham, trying to get up and over as only the Penguin can," Aubrey said. "As a hustler and a strategist with his own ambitions. It's a great example of having the time over eight episodes to tell a longer-arc character story with a lot of delicious twists and turns and new characters. It's very much going to be about Gotham at that street level because he's not flying around like Batman does. We are all embracing that as a very specific experience for audiences to have."

Matt Reeves previously spoke about The Penguin and teased what Farrell's return to the role and spoke about working with producer Dylan Clark and showrunner Lauren LeFranc. 

"Colin exploded off the screen as the Penguin in The Batman, and having the chance to thoroughly explore the inner life of that character on HBO Max is an absolute thrill," Reeves explained. "Dylan and I are so excited to work with Lauren in continuing Oz's story as he grabs violently for power in Gotham."

DC's The Penguin is expected to premiere in late 2024 on Max with The Batman Part II currently scheduled to hit theaters on October 3, 2025.