Matt Reeves reveals whether “The Batman Part II” is the end of his Dark Knight saga [Exclusive]

In a recent interview with Collider's Steve Weintraub for The Penguin, Matt Reeves confirmed that his original vision for The Batman was always part of a larger trilogy and Batman – Part II is just another chapter in the Dark Knight's journey. Reeves reiterated that his plan for a trilogy remains intact despite some changes along the way. Weintraub asked if the trilogy was still in the planning stages following the success of the first film. “Yeah, that's still the plan,” Reeves said confidently. “I mean, it stays very close to the path that we envisioned.”

The success of The Batman was partly due to his clear direction, and fans were curious if Reeves had made adjustments to his long-term vision, especially with the introduction of The Penguin Spin-off series in which Colin Farrell slip into the title role of Oz Cobb again The Batman. Reeves acknowledged that while some things have shifted slightly, the core of the trilogy has remained the same. He explained:

“Things kind of shifted. So when we came up with the idea
The Penguin
that was something where I had always intended to continue Penguin's story, and I wanted to tell the story of his rise to power. Because we know that in The Batman he's introduced as a kind of mediocre, kind of overlooked, derided figure who, in everyone's eyes, is not yet the Kingpin that we know him to be in the lore. And that was intentional, because I wanted – even though it wasn't Batman's origin story, I wanted the origin stories of these other characters, the Rogues Gallery, and that story was originally going to be the lead-up to the next film.”

“The Penguin” will be a true sequel to “The Batman”

When he spoke to HBO’s Chief Content Officer about the “Batman Epic Crime Saga,” Casey Bloys and Head of Originals Sarah AubreyReeves noted their excitement not only about the upcoming films, but also about the Penguin series' potential to expand the story, explaining that there was no need to hold everything back for the big screen. He told Collider:

“One of the things Casey said was, 'God, you know, I'm really excited about what you're doing in the movies too. We'd like you to do something in the show that's like one of those star characters, don't hoard anything, don't save everything just for the movie experience.' And I said, 'So, let me tell you what I wanted to do as the next part of this story, as a lead-in to the next movie.' I basically wanted to do what happened at the end of the first movie, Carmine Falcone is dead, he's been in power for 20 years. And now, in the power vacuum, as Selina says to him, it's going to get bloody. And that's the moment when Rob as Batman tells us at the end of the movie that some people are going to jump at the chance to grab whatever they can get. And that's Oz. It was almost like I had an aspect in mind for this story that was kind of like a Scarface story, a gangster story. And Casey said, “This is the show we want. This is the show.”

Reeves saw this as an opportunity to refocus the story of the man also known as Oswald Cobblepot and tell more of it in a series of his own without sacrificing the pace of the trilogy. “It's still the same kind of storyline,” Reeves explained, “but the entry point for Oz is now that he's more advanced at the beginning of the story than he would have been if we had started the story in the film rather than in a series.” Reeves confirms that The Penguin picks up a week after the events of the first film and tells a fairly condensed story itself. When asked how long the series will last, Revees said: “The story takes place over the next few weeks and takes us to the end of the year. We're not playing Christmas or New Year's, but we're getting there.”

It is this approach to storytelling that allows Reeves to bring the world of Gotham City to life while ensuring that Bruce Wayne's journey remains at the forefront of the films. While fans eagerly await Batman – Part IIIt is clear that Reeves' Dark Knight saga has much more to offer. The Penguin Premieres September 19 on HBO. The Batman can now be streamed on Max.

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