The Penguin may have concluded its run on HBO last year, but buzz about a potential return with a previously unplanned second season has been going on for quite some time, and is ramping up again after the show’s several Emmy nominations.
Will the limited series starring Colin Farrell as ladder-climbing criminal Oz Cobb extend its run? We’re breaking down everything we know so far about the possibility based on what the stars and creatives behind The Batman spinoff have said post-Season 1 and since the Emmy nominations. Scroll down for a closer peek, and stay tuned for any potential updates on The Penguin‘s future.
Has The Penguin been renewed for Season 2?
No, HBO hasn’t ordered a second season of the series, which was originally billed as an eight-episode limited series.
Would Colin Farrell reprise his role if The Penguin returns for Season 2?
HBO
When TV Insider caught up with the actor on the show’s premiere red carpet back in September 2024, Farrell told us, “I mean, it was only ever designed as an eight-part limited [series], but yeah, I mean, I’d be open to anything for sure… I had a great time doing it.”
When asked a similar question a few months later by Variety at the 2025 SAG Awards where Farrell won for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series, he said, “I don’t want it. I don’t not want it. We all left it in the ring in those eight hours. I would hate to, just because of a quote-unquote success, have to go again and for it to be a diluted version of what people seem to feel it is, majoritively. So I’m in no rush. I have no deep desire to do it. … Sure, if they think of something that works in conjunction as a parallel to Matt Reeves’ cinematic universe and it’s a good idea, I’m open to it. But it’s not something concerning me.”
What has the creative team said about The Penguin exploring Season 2?
Prior to the show’s public launch, we asked executive producers Matt Reeves and Dylan Clark about Season 1’s cliffhanger ending for Sofia (Cristin Milioti) who found herself back in Arkham following Oz’s set-up. When she landed back behind bars, Sofia received a letter from her half-sister Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz), hinting at a potential crossing of paths between the characters. While this seemed like a potential segue for Sofia’s inclusion in the forthcoming Batman sequel that is also on the way, Reeves made a point to reveal that sneaky Easter eggs weren’t among the creative team’s strategy.
“None of that is meant to be a cliffhanger [where] you’re not going to be able to sleep. It’s more like, ‘Hey, this is part of the thing where if you engage in all of these stories, you feel like you go on this massive journey,’ which I think for us is about switching points of view. It’s about empathy,” Reeves says.
As Clark states, “We want [viewers] to want more series from us. All these great marquee characters that we feel deserve their own long-form expression. And if we’re lucky, we’ll get to do that.”
In other words, a second season of The Penguin wasn’t the initial strategy, but the tone seems to be changing. Clark told TV Line at the Golden Globes red carpet that “quiet conversations” about a second season are reportedly underway. “If we could come up with an idea for what a second season might be, there’s a chance that [HBO CEO] Casey Bloys and the HBO team would want to pursue that,” Clark added in his chat with the outlet.
Meanwhile, Reeves had told Variety previously that he was talking with showrunner Lauren LeFranc “about doing another season.”
In another recent update post-Emmy nominations, Bloys told Variety, “The number one thing right now that Matt [Reeves] is dealing with is getting the movie going. I believe they’re making progress there,” he said in regards to The Batman sequel film. “I know that he and [showrunner] Lauren [LeFranc] have talked about various ideas. So, could another chapter be in the future? Definitely possible. Right now, I think the priority for Matt is the movie. But I know that Lauren is thinking of various ideas that might work alongside the movie. I think it’s possible. I just don’t know at this point.”
Ultimately, there is hope for Season 2, but we’ll keep you posted on whether it gets the green light or not. Stay tuned and let us know if you’d like to see Season 2 of The Penguin in the comments section below.
The Penguin, Streaming now, Max
