HBO Max executive Sarah Aubrey reveals exactly how The Penguin fits into The Batman universe timeline. Even before The Batman was released in theaters, it was clear that Matt Reeves' ambitious and inventive take on the Dark Knight and Gotham City would serve as the springboard for its own DC shared universe, as a spinoff series for the Penguin was already in development. The Batman's supporting villain whose name is Oswald Cobblepot was portrayed unrecognizably by Colin Farrell, who has read the first script for The Penguin and revealed the spinoff takes place a week after The Batman.

During a recent interview with Variety, Aubrey revealed some more details about The Penguin series, including exactly how it fits into The Batman universe timeline. Though she is not at liberty to reveal a release date, the HBO Max exec also discussed how the series will explore Oz's life at the street level. Read what Aubrey said below:

Penguin will sit immediately after the end of The Batman and temporally before the events of the second movie. The show will come out in between the two movies. Now beyond that, it’s fun for the audience to know that it will be a bridge between the two, but the actual release date, I’m not at liberty to say. The goal of this is to show 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. As a hustler and a strategist with his own ambitions. It is 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.

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Will Penguin Be The Villain In The Batman 2 Now?

The Penguin smiling at Batman in Matt Reeves' Batman

It was already known The Penguin takes place a week after The Batman ends as Gotham is underwater due to the Riddler's terrorist plot to flood the city. Now, the HBO Max exec has revealed the spinoff will also lead directly into the events of the sequel and act as a bridge between the two movies. With the spinoff series devoting 8 episodes worth of screen time to exploring the Penguin's origin story and his life of crime after Carmine Falcone was killed, this will certainly raise suspicions that Oz will return as the primary villain in The Batman 2, as opposed to the supporting role he played in the first movie.

Other than the Penguin, Barry Keoghan's Joker is expected to return as a villain in The Batman 2 given his introduction at the end of the first film. Paul Dano's Riddler could also return since he is now imprisoned at Arkham Asylum with the Clown Prince of Crime. There has also been plenty of speculation about The Batman 2 introducing entirely new villains, such as Mr. Freeze, Hush, and The Court of Owls.

A release date has not yet been announced for The Penguin, though Aubrey says it is guaranteed to come out before The Batman 2, which is not expected to release until 2025 according to a recent report. This gives The Penguin the opportunity to help audiences endure the long wait by bridging the gap between the two movies and the spinoff series should all but guarantee the villain's return and help set the stage for the highly-anticipated sequel.

Next: Penguin In The Batman 2? Colin Farrell Surely Has To Return

Source: Variety

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