In The Penguin Episode 8, this chapter of Oz’s story seemed to reach its end, with a Bat-Signal pointing to The Batman 2 – but will there be an Episode 9 next week?
In 1966, it was a quaking, top-hatted Burgess Meredith. In 1992, it was the sewer-dwelling, pale-faced Danny DeVito. Now, it’s time for Colin Farrell’s The Penguin to make his mark on Gotham.
Introduced in 2022’s The Batman, this incarnation of the legendary villain (with a notable name change) isn’t a kingpin… yet. The Penguin is set to chart his path to power in the wake of the Riddler’s attacks, worming his way through the city’s power struggles as the ultimate underdog.
It’s been a long time coming, and it’s become one of the best TV shows of 2024 – so, should you tune in for The Penguin Episode 9 next week?
The Penguin Episode 9 doesn’t exist
Sorry, folks: The Penguin ended with Episode 8 on November 10, so there won’t be an Episode 9.
I understand why you want to see what happens next, though. After all, Oz is now Gotham’s kingpin, he just killed Vic, and somewhere “in the way”, Robert Pattinson’s Batman is watching.
Unfortunately, The Penguin Season 2 hasn’t been announced, so you’ll need to wait until October 2026 for The Batman 2.
However, Matt Reeves and co. are having early conversations about continuing Oz’s story.
“For me, what’s really important is that we earn it. The idea of revisiting means that we have to keep that same bar. I know that none of us wants to go back and just do more,” he told Entertainment Weekly.
“We want to go back and do something great. So that’s what we’re talking about now. We do believe that there’s going to be something in there, but it’s just beginning. It’s exciting though. It’s very gratifying.”
How many episodes are there?
There are eight episodes in total in The Penguin.
Interestingly, it wasn’t always planned as its own TV series. According to producer Dylan Clark, the spinoff was originally the opening act of The Batman 2, but Farrell’s performance was so well-received that they wanted to get the most out of it.
He explained to Collider: “One of the first drafts of The Batman was long. Matt [Reeves] storyboards in the scripts, and it was just so detailed and delicious, but it was busting at the seams… and then, in a meeting with Casey [Bloys] and Sarah [Aubrey], he said, ‘You know, we could do this.’
“And the Penguin was just the obvious character to do. Colin [Farrell] was so amazing in our movie. He was only in six scenes. When we tested the movie, he always rated at the top with Rob [Pattinson].
“It was like, ‘God, it’s Colin Farrell and he’s such an amazing actor. The way he transforms himself, not just physically but emotionally, inside this character, wouldn’t it be fun to do a gangster show around this guy?’
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“And then, Casey was like, ‘I want that.’ Matt had to part with some of the ideas that he wanted to explore in movie two. That rise to power Scarface story that is the beginning of this series was the beginning of movie two.”
The Penguin release schedule
Weirdly, Episode 1 of The Penguin is the only episode that aired on a Thursday. The rest of the series aired on Sundays, echoing HBO’s schedule for House of the Dragon and its other shows.
- Episode 1: Aired Thursday, September 19
- Episode 2: Aired Sunday, September 29
- Episode 3: Aired Sunday, October 6
- Episode 4: Aired Sunday, October 13
- Episode 5: Aired Sunday, October 20
- Episode 6: Aired Sunday, October 27
- Episode 7: Aired Sunday, November 3
- Episode 8 (finale): Aired Sunday, November 8
What’s it about?
The Penguin follows Colin Farrell’s titular villain as he rises to power in a fractured, damp Gotham – but he’ll have to contend with Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milloti), seeking to regain control of her late father’s empire after a stint in Arkham Asylum.
Don’t expect to see the caped crusader, either. This is effectively the Penguin’s origin story, and it’ll set up The Batman 2.
“We’re in Oz’s world. We’re living in the underbelly of the city,” LeFranc told Entertainment Weekly.
“Oz is a mover and a shaker. He can’t always be trusted. He’s very smart and very methodical, but he’s also extremely impulsive. You can’t predict what he’s going to do.
“We are the bridge between the two films. We’re going almost directly into the second film Matt has planned.”
The Penguin cast
Colin Farrell leads The Penguin cast as the titular wannabe mob boss, also known as Oz Cobb. Cristin Milloti, best known for playing the Mother in How I Met Your Mother, plays Sofia Falcone.
The cast also includes:
- Rhenzy Feliz as Victor Aguilar
- Michael Kelly as Johnny Viti
- Shohreh Aghdashloo asNadia Maroni
- Deirdre O’Connell as Francis Cobb
- Clancy Brown as Salvatore Maroni
- James Madio as Milos Grapa
- Scott Cohen as Luca Falcone
- Michael Zegen as Alberto Falcone
- Carmen Ejogo as Eve Karlo
- Theo Rossi as Dr. Julian Rush
- Mark Strong as Carmine Falcone
Speaking to MovieZine (via AV Club), Farrell said he had a “really wonderful experience” reprising the role, and warned that it’s darker than fans will expect.
“It’s really dark. It’s really heavy, I think – it certainly was doing it. Which is not to say I didn’t have fun, I had an amazing time. But it’s incredibly violent. It’s one man’s rise to what he’s always dreamed of inhabiting, which is a certain power or social status.”
For more coverage of The Penguin, find out more about Magpie, why Oz Cobb limps, and a secret QR code that’ll unlock a Riddler Easter egg. You can also learn why Dr Julian Rush may be a Batman villain in disguise and how The Penguin finale could have made one change to set up The Batman 2.
You should also check out our list of the best superhero TV shows and our ranking of the best superhero movies.
