The Penguin Showrunner Answers Robert Pattinson’s Batman Cameo Possibilities

The upcoming HBO Max series, The Penguin, is a spin-off of Matt Reeves’ 2022 film The Batman. This has led many to assume that Robert Pattinson would make a cameo once or twice to remind the audience of the world being set up. This has had many fans hoping for a crossover between the two projects.

According to Lauren LeFranc, the show’s writer and showrunner, Batman won’t make an appearance in The Penguin. She told SFX magazine that this was on purpose. The absence of Batman allows the series to explore Gotham City from a different perspective.

Matt’s films are through the lens of the Batman, so you’re high up, looking down on the city. With Oz, you’re in the city streets, you’re in the grit and the muck and the grime.

Lauren LeFranc

Even Director Matt Reeves echoed this sentiment. To him, it’s not necessary to have Batman in the show at all. The foundation was laid from the movie, and everyone knows that this is Batman’s town.

I don’t feel like it’s missing something fundamental, I feel like it’s an extension of what is fundamentally there. We know this is the world of Batman. You’re going down a different alley. So the spectre of Batman is there [and] the spectre of the Riddler is there. The spectre of everything that happens in the last movie is there. It informs it.

Matt Reeves

It’s fair to say that fans don’t need to see Batman to understand what’s happening in Gotham, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t see a bat signal or two. Daredevil takes place in New York, just like Spider-Man and plenty of other superheroes. We don’t think of the other heroes often while reading the comics unless they get mentioned.

While Batman may not appear in The Penguin, the show will still be set within the same universe as The Batman. This means that fans can expect to see references to other characters and events from the film, such as the Riddler’s plot and the overall atmosphere of Gotham City.

Undoubtedly, keeping Batman from The Penguin is a unique idea that is pretty bold. It lets the show stand independently; we’re curious to see how that plays out.