New HBO limited series The Penguin takes place in the same universe as The Batman – but will Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight show up? Or will Gotham City have to cope without its greatest protector?
Is Robert Pattinson’s Batman in The Penguin?
No, Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne/Batman does not appear in The Penguin. While the online rumor mill has repeatedly linked Pattinson to the show, executive producer (and The Batman director) Matt Reeves officially ruled out his involvement in September 2024. “Rob is not going to be in [The Penguin],” he told Total Film. “I’d rather take the Band-Aid off now. We did talk about all that but we felt the best way to do this was to go on a grand exploration of [protagonist Oz Cobb] grabbing for power in this moment.” That doesn’t mean the Caped Crusader isn’t a factor in proceedings, though. On the contrary, The Penguin explicitly references the costumed vigilante. Just don’t expect to see him on-screen.
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This will come as a disappointment to many Bat-fans, however, The Penguin showrunner Lauren LeFranc insists it’s the right call. “I understand why people’s desire would be to have Batman, or to think that unless Batman’s in a show or a film then it doesn’t have the same punch,” she said in an SFX interview. “To me I think it packs a different punch. Matt’s films are through the lens of the Batman, so you’re high up, looking down on the city. It’s a different perspective. With Oz, you’re in the city streets, you’re in the grit and the muck and the grime. He’s looking up, wanting to claw his way to the top.”
Matt Reeves Unpacks Pattinson’s Penguin Absence
Reeves further justified Pattinson’s absence elsewhere in the Total Film interview, arguing that sidelining Batman was the only way to give Oz Cobb his due. At the same time, he also assured fans that the pointy-eared crime-fighter’s shadow will nevertheless loom large over proceedings in The Penguin.
Related: All Major Actors & Cast List for The Penguin
“I’m a point-of-view filmmaker,” Reeves explained. “When I’m doing a Batman story, Batman and Bruce is going to be the main point of view. To explore the rogues gallery, they could never get the real estate we can do in a series. So Batman is in this [show] only as a sense that he’s a presence. You’re aware that all of these events began because of the Riddler, but the Riddler doesn’t appear and Batman doesn’t appear.”
The Penguin premieres on HBO and Max on Sept. 19, 2024.
Published: Sep 19, 2024 12:15 pm