HBO Confirms Bad News for DC Fans Waiting for The Penguin Season 2

Fans holding up hopes for a return to the grimy Gotham underworld in a second season of The Penguin will be disappointed, as HBO has officially submitted the acclaimed series for Emmy consideration in the Outstanding Limited Series category. This move, reported by Deadline, strongly indicates that the company sees the Colin Farrell-led drama, which masterfully expanded Matt Reeves’ The Batman universe, as a one-season narrative. While there have been rumors about the possibility of The Penguin getting a second season, this Emmy strategy effectively closes the door on future installments, despite underscoring HBO’s confidence in the show’s quality for awards contention.

The Penguin quickly established itself as a major hit for HBO and DC. Its premiere episode ultimately reached nearly 17 million viewers in the U.S. across all platforms, while the gripping finale drew 2.1 million viewers for its initial broadcast alone, marking a 50% increase from its debut. This strong audience engagement positioned The Penguin as HBO’s third most-watched current series globally, trailing only behemoths like House of the Dragon and The Last of Us. Critically, the show was a phenomenon, earning widespread acclaim for its performances and storytelling, at one point boasting perfect scores for every single episode on Rotten Tomatoes and consistently high ratings on IMDb. Building on this wave of success and critical adoration, HBO is now making a significant Emmy push. Beyond the Outstanding Limited Series submission, Colin Farrell is a strong contender for Best Actor for his transformative portrayal of Oz Cobb, with Cristin Milioti also in the race for Best Actress for her compelling turn as Sofia Falcone. Series creator Lauren LeFranc is also deservedly in the Emmy conversation for her writing.

[RELATED: Robert Pattinson Comments on The Batman II Delay: “I’m Going to Be F-cking Old”]

The supporting cast is also getting awards recognition, with Rhenzy Feliz (Victor Aguilar) submitted for Supporting Actor and Deirdre O’Connell (Francis Cobb) for Supporting Actress. Directing nominations are being sought for Craig Zobel (episode 101, “After Hours”), Helen Shaver (episode 104, “Cent’anni”), Kevin Bray (episode 107, “Top Hat”), and Jennifer Getzinger (episode 108, “A Great or Little Thing”). Further underscoring the production’s quality, HBO is also submitting The Penguin in a plethora of craft categories, including Casting for Cindy Tolen and Suzanne Ryan; Cinematography for Darran Tiernan (101), Jonathan Freeman (105, “Homecoming”), David Franco (107), and Zoë White (108); Picture Editing for Andy Keir, Meg Reticker, and Henk Van Eeghen; as well as Production Design, Contemporary Hairstyling, Contemporary Makeup, Prosthetic Makeup, Music Composition, Music Supervision, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Special Visual Effects, Stunt Coordination, Stunt Performance, and Title Design.

Is Matt Reeves’ Batman Universe in Danger?

The news that The Penguin will be a one-season affair, despite its success, immediately raises questions about the overall health of Matt Reeves’ distinct Batman universe. This cinematic Gotham operates under DC’s “Elseworlds” designation, meaning it carves its own path separate from the primary interconnected DC Universe being developed by James Gunn and Peter Safran. While this grants Reeves creative autonomy, it also means the universe’s expansion depends entirely on the progress of its individual projects. Unfortunately, the development of the cornerstone of this Elseworlds venture, The Batman Part II, has been anything but swift.

Originally set for an October 2025 release, the sequel, starring Robert Pattinson, now targets an October 1, 2027, premiere — a full five years after its predecessor. This significant delay is primarily the result of director Reeves’ deliberate writing process, with script pages reportedly being submitted to the studio over an extended period rather than as a finished whole. Recent reports indicate that a complete first draft of The Batman Part II screenplay is now expected by Memorial Day of this year, which could speed up production. However, since the development of The Batman Part II has been delayed multiple times, there’s no telling if the movie will start shooting in 2025 as intended.

Beyond the flagship film, efforts to broaden this Bat-verse through television have been limited. While Reeves stated that discussions for a second season of The Penguin were happening and that he desired more spinoffs, HBO’s current “Limited Series” Emmy strategy for the show suggests a different immediate path. Other potential series have also failed to launch. An initial concept for a Gotham City Police Department show eventually morphed into an Arkham Asylum project. However, this Arkham series was reported in July 2024 as no longer moving forward at HBO, with the network apparently preferring to back shows centered on more established “marquee characters.” As it stands, The Penguin is the only live-action spinoff from Reeves’ The Batman to make it to the screen. 

The Penguin is currently available to stream on HBO Max.

What are your thoughts on The Penguin being a limited series, and are you concerned about the future of Matt Reeves’ Batman universe? Sound off in the comments!