Colin Farrell is ready to return to The Penguin season 2 — but only on one condition
The Penguin Season 2 isn’t happening, but Colin Farrell is ready to return as Oz Cobb—there’s just one catch.
If you've been paying any attention to HBO's latest dip into Gotham, you'll know that The Penguin has become a bit of a critical darling—gritty, stylish, and one of those rare spin-offs that actually justifies its own existence. Now, everyone's naturally champing at the bit for a second series. But despite the hype, HBO has yet to officially give it the green light. And just because Colin Farrell's turn as Oz Cobb was (let's be honest) one of the best things about this whole Bat-universe adventure doesn't mean he's automatically on board for more.
Farrell's Terms for Round Two
So, is Farrell suiting up for more of Oz Cobb's brand of purple-suited mayhem? He addressed exactly that at the premiere of his new Apple TV+ series, Sugar, over in Los Angeles. Straight off: Colin's not against the idea of coming back for The Penguin season 2. If there's a story worth telling, he'd happily shuffle back into those prosthetics. Thing is, he's not keen to wander back into Gotham unless there's a genuine creative reason to do it. Basically, he wants the writers to come to the table with something as strong—or stronger—than what we got the first time round.
"Could we justify a second or a third season when the first season was as strong as it was?"
That's Farrell quoting himself to the press. He reckons there's more to dig into with Oz Cobb, but any attempt to force it would, in his words, need to "justify its existence creatively". You've got to respect that—after all, season one set the bar properly high.
The Bat-universe Priorities
As for what's happening behind the scenes, it sounds like the majority of the Matt Reeves Bat-universe team are fully tied up with the next The Batman film. Farrell himself confirmed they're putting most of their energy into getting that sequel off the ground before circling back to Gotham's other streaming criminals. When the dust settles on that, we might hear something more concrete about where The Penguin goes next.
He did make a point of singing the praises of showrunner Lauren LeFranc and her team, calling the first batch of episodes 'extraordinary'—no faint praise coming from a bloke who's probably seen enough scripts in his day to know the difference. You do sort of get the sense he's not bluffing; for him, quality still trumps quantity.
Where Oz Cobb's Story Stands
- Premise: Season one saw Oz carving his way up through Gotham City's criminal ladder, muscling out rivals and scheming for control—a proper underworld power grab with just enough nastiness to feel at home in Reeves' universe.
- Reception: Critics and viewers alike have been quick to heap on the praise. The reviews haven't just been good—they've been loud, calling the show one of the standout new crime dramas of the year.
- Future: No official series 2 order yet. Everything's on hold while work ramps up on The Batman sequel.