At a point in their career, Hollywood veterans aren’t required to audition any longer. Robert Pattinson has now crossed that threshold. With many memorable roles under his belt, it’s no wonder he no longer auditions for every role he wants. But when you consider one of his most high-profile roles of all time, it’s a miracle that he was practically handed the role. 5i6i3

Some people claim to possess reality-bending powers, and Pattinson just might just be one of them. The Mickey 17 actor has a full plate in front of him. He’s slated to appear in a string of high-profile films: Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, Lynne Ramsay’s Die, My Love and Kristoffer Borgli’s The Drama.  His secret to bagging such juicy roles? His imagination.

Pattinson’s superpower? Manifesting a superhero 3z2w24

Robert Pattinson has always implicated himself as a cinephile. But when Matt Reeves’ The Batman began production, the imaginary audition line must have been a mile long. Initially, Ben Affleck was in view to direct and star in the movie before it suddenly took a hard left. In 2019, it was rumored that Pattinson had auditioned for the role of Bruce Wayne during Tenet’s filming.

Fast forward to 2025, and Robert Pattinson himself would later disclose that he actually never auditioned for the role. During his press run for Mickey 17, he shared with Technikart that he pretty much manifested Bruce Wayne into his lap.

Listen, for The Batman, it was very strange. I never auditioned, and I had never played a superhero before. Two or three years before I got the part, I started thinking about it, when I really had no chance of playing Batman. And then, slowly, it was like an alignment of planets…

So what happened to the other actors who weren’t blessed with Pattinson’s immense powers of manifestation?

“Of course it's an emotional blow. It's also weird that this process has also somewhat become public. It's one thing to have your failures as one, it's another thing to have them publicly broadcasted to everyone.” — Nicholas Hoult on THE BATMAN auditions pic.twitter.com/sTHAcBAJvS

— best of nicholas hoult (@bestofhoult) November 7, 2024

British actor Nicholas Hoult its to having a firsthand experience of what this was like. On an episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, he referred to losing out on the role as an “emotional blow.”

I a week before we did The Batman test, I was driving in my car and I had the radio on and they were talking on the radio about how Rob was going to be the new Batman. And I was like, ‘Well, It’s not confirmed yet, I’m auditioning next weekend’.

Hoult was later cast in James Gunn’s reboot of Superman as Lex Luthor, alongside David Corensweat’s Clark Kent. So it looks like it all panned out in the end. Although the two DC films exist in separate universes, there is at least some likelihood Hoult and Pattinson walk by each other on the way to work.

What to expect in The Batman Part II? a5u3s

Matt Reeves loves to take his very sweet time with his projects. For some context, The Batman hit the big screen in 2022. However, news that Reeves had been hired for the job was already made known since 2017. As it stands right now, the only thing Reeves has promised DC fans is a darker, grittier Gotham in Oct. 2027. 

At the end of Reeves’ successful 2024 series The Penguin starring Colin Farrell, a character makes use of the words “No man’s land,” which has led many to believe this was an easter egg reference to the Batman comic arc of the same name. 

There’s so much to love about on-screen couples. For Batman and Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman, it’s the classic will-they-wont-they, loaded with sizzling, unresolved tension.  In Matt Reeves’ The Batman, the cliffhanger ending left viewers craving more of Robert Pattinson and Zoë Kravitz.

But over two years and an acclaimed spin-off series later, and we’re not even remotely close to seeing The Batman 2. We recently got a tease of the Kravinson (how isn’t this a thing yet?) reunion over the weekend, and while that’s a nice set of crumbs, it’s only made us want the pair together even more. 

Batman and Catwoman reunite. 4z202p

Robert Pattinson has been hard at work promoting his latest movie, Mickey 17, but that hasn’t stopped fans from obsessing over his brooding Batman role. The actor recently hosted a reception party for Mickey 17 in Paris and fans were excited to see Zoë Kravitz in attendance. 

In 2022’s The Batman. Pattinson played the brooding and tortured protector of Gotham City, while Kravitz played a young woman just looking out for herself. Sure, Batman and Catwoman aren’t an unfamiliar couple, but The Batman still managed to make the pairing fresh and steamy. Naturally, their relationship started with Bruce and Selina using each other for their own ends, before developing a begrudging respect for each other that led to an allyship, all while dealing with the potent sexual chemistry between them. Kravitz’s sultry and seductive portrayal of Selina was the perfect match for Pattinson’s stoic Batman, who she cheekily referred to as ‘Vengeance.’

Despite Selina deciding to leave Gotham for good by the end of the movie, fans can’t help but hope that there’s still an on-screen future for the pair. Both Pattinson and Kravitz were happy to see each other at the party on Saturday and posed for pictures together, setting off DC fan antennas everywhere! 

Matt Reeves confirmed to Deadline that filming for The Batman Part II will start this year.  And as the fans are clamoring for him to “bring my family together,” it’s time for more of the Bat and the Cat.

Robert Pattinson is still keeping busy 5w6e2e

All the while, Robert Pattinson hasn’t just been sitting around since The Batman. He’s probably the most in-demand actor right now. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve seen all the videos of Pattinson doing press in South Korea and adorably attempting to make finger hearts, to varying degrees of success. Even if he sucks at finger hearts, he’s great at winning the fans.

Directed by Parasite director Bong Joon Ho, Mickey 17 is a sci-fi dark comedy that follows a man named Mickey who signs up to become an “expendable” employee in a space program. Anytime Mickey dies, a clone is made of him and given his old memories to continue the work. However, things get tricky when one of the clones, Mickey 17, survives, and now has to confront the latest version of himself. Pattinson stars in the movie alongside Mark Ruffalo, Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, and Toni Collette.

When Matt Reeves undertook the Batman story for a new audience, he promised that his version would focus on its often-overlooked detective element. And while he lived up to this promise in the first installment, the story of Reeves’ Batman, starring Robert Pattinson, has since evolved into a “will they/won’t they” soap opera with an ever-shifting release date. Now, Reeves has thrown another spanner in the works by not outright denying the possibility of his version ing the DCU.

Matt Reeves was walking the red carpet of the Golden Globes in of his excellent in-universe Penguin, which was nominated in three categories and won Best Actor in a Limited Series, with Colin Farrell walking home with a golden statue. Despite the successful night, what left tongues wagging was Reeves’ interview with MTV’s Josh Horowitz. They had a wide-ranging chat about Reeves’ work in the DCU, touching on the delays with The Batman Part 2, the possibility of Mr. Freeze being the villain in the sequel, and, most notably, the potential of Robert Pattinson’s Batman ing the DCU.  Reeves didn’t confirm that Pattinson is ing the DCU, but he didn’t deny it either. Reeves stated, “It really comes down to whether or not it makes sense,” and when Horowitz pressed him about what he would do if the executives insisted that Pattinson has to the DCU, all Reeves said was, “We’ll have to see where that goes.”

This could be huge news for fans who have long clamored for a cohesive and interconnected universe. Perhaps even more important to fans has been the continued development of Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne — lest this be another case of Henry Cavill’s Superman, where the character isn’t given enough screen time to truly develop. The Batman was great, but even its biggest fan would it we didn’t get nearly enough of Bruce Wayne in that first installment, as Pattinson was almost always in his cowl.

It’s worth mentioning that, after the release of the trailer for James Gunn’s Superman, it’s somewhat difficult to see how Reeves’ version of Batman would fit into the DCU. The version of Superman in that trailer could not be more different from Reeves’ world if they tried. Reeves is clearly prioritizing his own plans for his Batman saga and, as he’s shared, would only let his version interconnect if it “makes sense.”

The difference in tone could be an advantage, though, considering the nature of Batman and Superman in predominant comics is like night and day. The sensibilities seem fundamentally different; in The Batman, there wasn’t a single scene with midday sunlight, and the reverse is true in the Superman trailer, where not a single night scene is shown. The stark contrast between the two is what makes their meeting and collaboration so iconic. Creating a world where Metropolis and Gotham are too similar is perhaps what made the Snyderverse so polarizing.

Reeves was cautious with his wording when addressing whether his Batman will eventually the DCU, revealing only that he has had discussions with Gunn but not sharing exactly how those discussions ended. However, it’s worth mentioning that Gunn has already stated his Superman will skip the origin story, throwing fans right into a universe where superheroes already exist.

We personally think they can make this work — there are too many talented people involved for them not to figure it out. And we’d love to see it.

Fans are still reeling from the devastating finale of The Penguin which aired on Max. While everyone deserves some breathing room, Oz Cobb (Colin Farrell) isn’t being put to bed for good.

Viewers can expect the return of The Penguin in Matt Reeves’ sequel to 2022’s The Batman. But in what capacity? Producer Dylan Clark spoke to Variety about the future of the iconic Batman villain. He complimented showrunner Lauren LeFranc on her unimpeachable vision that was a necessity for the success of The Penguin. The crime drama could have easily been a cameo-ladden cash grab with no nuance. Instead, LeFranc presented the audience with a careful if often brutal character study of a narcissist. Clark stated that he and Reeves were blown away by her initial pitch, which leaves many storylines up in the air. Clark continued:

“We’ve built these two characters up and left them both in very precarious places. Power corrupts, and now he has it. What’s he gonna do? Probably some more bad stuff.”

Knowing The Penguin, “bad stuff” is likely an understatement. Oz has finally achieved everything he has ever wanted, but it came at a cost. The crime boss explored the lengths of what he was willing to do in order to get supreme power. He sacrifices an innocent closest to him, and all for a goal that is now unachievable. Oz wanted to provide for his mother, Francis (Deirdre O’Connell), but now that she is in a vegetative state, he keeps her locked up in a penthouse overlooking the city. He has fully accepted himself as he is, which should dovetail nicely when The Batman: Part II premieres. Viewers may also be interested to know what is in store for the co-protagonist of the series.

Sofia Gigante is down but not out 716e6s

The season finale of The Penguin is tragic for almost every character. Sofia Gigante (Cristin Milioti) is high on that list, as she is left exactly where she started at the beginning of the series. After struggling to get revenge for her brother and control of the Falcone crime family, Oz maneuvers her so she ends up back in Arkham. On her first stay in the asylum, Sofia was heartbreakingly framed by her father Carmine (Mark Strong), and spent a decade unjustly in the worst place on earth.

The last episode shows Sofia back in a cell, though this time with the unwavering of Dr. Rush (Theo Rossi). The shining light for Sofia is receiving a letter from an established half-sister, Selina Kyle, portrayed by Zoë Kravitz in The Batman. This portends some interesting things for the character down the line. The sibling characters share their father, Carmine Falcone, and have equal reasons for hating him. While dead, Carmine still fascinatingly unites the two characters. There is more in store for Sofia, who LeFranc tells Variety was conjured up with a specific goal in mind.

“So much of the reason why I created Sofia was just to give my younger self a female character that I didn’t feel like I had growing up.”

Sofia is unapologetic and ruthless, just the type of person to get ahead in Gotham. LeFranc is light on the specifics, but judging from the ending of The Penguin, that won’t be the last time we see Ms. Gigante.

The following article contains spoilers for The Penguin, season 1, episode 8: “A Great Or Little Thing.”

The Penguin has come to a close with all the gusto and violence that could be expected, and fans only want to know one thing. Will Colin Farrell play the titular character again?

All previous reports pointed to not being very likely. Farrell quite famously told Total Film that the darkness of The Penguin affected him deeply and he had no designs on returning to the role.

“I never want to put on that f***ing suit and f***ing head again,” Farrell said.

However, in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter following The Penguin season 1 finale, he recontextualized his earlier comments. Farrell itted that he had been venting about the difficulties of the shoot and how existing in Oz’s world had been a challenge. With more time, the actor has since reasoned “Never say never.” There may be a future where Farrell dons the elaborate prosthetics again to play the irredeemable gangster, he told the outlet.

“If there’s a great idea [for season two], and the writing was really muscular and as strong or stronger on the page than it was the first season, of course I would do it.”

Farrell also explained that he is contractually obligated to appear in three Batman films in the Matt Reeves universe. He noted that he hasn’t seen a script for The Batman Part II but understands he may have five or six scenes in the film. The new movie has been highly anticipated since 2022 when the first Batman premiered, but now there is even more reason to fast-track it. The Penguin sets up a terrifying villain for Batman to defeat in the film.

The Penguin perfectly set up Oz’s villain era 183x6m

For fans of Batman comics, it seems pretty evident what Matt Reeves will tackle in the next film. There is heavy messaging in The Batman that Hush, a villain never explored in live action before, will be the next foe for the Caped Crusader. However, the film would be remiss to not include the Gentleman of Crime.

In The Batman, The Penguin is comic relief at best, roasting the world’s greatest detective for his terrible Spanish. The Penguin continues this trend but develops a character arc that is disturbing until the final episode. The season finale of The Penguin shows Oz become so reprehensible that fans are practically begging Batman to swoop down and beat him into submission.

Season 1, episode 8, “The Great or Little Thing” shows the lengths to which Oz will go to become a true powerhouse. After s (Deirdre O’Connell) has a stroke that effectively leaves her comatose, Oz decides that he can’t ever be weak again. His only remaining weakness is Victor (Rhenzy Feliz), who calls Oz family in his final moments. Oz promises that he couldn’t have accomplished his massive power grab without his apprentice, right before wrapping his fingers around his throat and choking the life from him.

Many fans were willing to forgive many things, but this act, in addition to Oz killing his brothers and setting a woman and her son on fire, just further crystalizes his descent into true villainy. He exhibits no real remorse, even diving further into his delusions regarding his mother in the final moments of the episode. There is no question why Colin Farrell needed some time away from this character. Oz, who easily could have fallen into the trap of being a caricature, finally becomes the villain he was boasting to be and is now worthy of being included in Batman’s Rogues Gallery.

While The Penguin did a phenomenal job of keeping the focus on Colin Farrell’s mesmerizing Oswald Cobb, the series still leaves enough loose threads for fans to follow as we try to anticipate the plot of The Batman: Part II. Furthermore, The Penguin’s ending gives a clearer picture of how dangerous Oz can be as Gotham City’s new kingpin and where we’ll see some beloved characters next.

Francis’ and Victor’s fate reveals the true nature of Oswald Cobb 12i60

When the credits of The Penguin’s final episode roll, there’s no question: Oz is a sociopath who doesn’t honestly care about anyone but himself. Since he’s so good at talking his way out of trouble, Oz managed to charm the audience, using the façade of a self-made man to hide his devious nature. After a few episodes, one could wonder if Oz was a villain or just a misguided soul trying to survive in Gotham City.

A look at Oz’s past, in Episode 7, helps to clear the matter. After all, Oz’s compulsion to be loved led him to murder his brothers, all while pretending to be Mommy’s good boy. Yet, Episode 8 hammers the point by showing how Oz’s need for validation has sealed the fate of Francis (Deirdre O’Connell) and Victor (Rhenzy Feliz).

In the final episode, Victor, inspired by Oz’s grandiose speeches about the less fortunate rising against the wealthy, convinces every second-in-command of Gotham’s gangs to seize power. This revolutionary coup gives Oz the throne he always dreamed of. Sadly, Victor is repaid with blood, as Oz chokes his apprentice to death without any previous warning. 

It’s not that Oz is not fond of Victor, per se. It’s just that Oz doesn’t want to share his crown, and Victor proved himself too bright and reliable for Oz to trust him to keep to his place. Victor is a liability for Oz, who has to cater to the boy’s big expectations on how the Penguin should rule. In short, by ing every gang in Gotham to Oz, Victor proves he’s too cunning to stay alive. Victor’s value expired once he showed Oz he could be more than a loyal lapdog, which gives us a spine-chilling peek at the Penguin’s head.

As for Francis, what she feared the most comes to . By the end of The Penguin, Francis is in a vegetative state, trapped inside the flesh prison she once called her body. Oz had promised to terminate her life if that ever came to , but of course, he doesn’t fulfill his oath. Oz is incapable of loving his mother and respecting her as a person. To him, Francis is just the source of the affection he needs to feel good about himself. That’s why he keeps her alive. Oz still has use for Francis, and he won’t let her final wishes get in the way of what he wants. The Penguin is a cruel narcissist, and the way he treats his mother at the end of the limited series proves it.

Is Sofia Gigante showing up for The Batman: Part II? 3n1c2n

While The Penguin is primarily about Oz, Cristin Milioti stole our hearts with her take on Sofia Gigante. For a moment, it looked like Sofia was marked for execution since she was the biggest obstacle in Oz’s way to absolute power over Gotham’s underworld. However, instead of killing Sofia, Oz sends her back to Arkham Asylum, which is genuinely hell on Earth. This move allows the Penguin to blame her for all the chaos he helped spread in Gotham’s streets.

Oz believes he’s dooming Sofia to a fate worse than death. He would be correct if it weren’t for two reasons. First, Dr. Julian Rush (Theo Rossi) gets his job back at Arkham to protect Sofia as best as possible. That means this time, she won’t be subject to psychological torture the same way as before. More importantly, though, Sofia gets a letter from Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz), aka Catwoman.

The Batman reveals Selina is the daughter of Carmine Falcone (John Turturro) with one of the sex workers from the Iceberg Lounge. That makes her Sofia’s half-sister. Since Selina s Sofia at the end of The Penguin, Catwoman most likely knows their father is the actual Hangman. So, Selina might help get Sofia out of Arkham. Plus, the two women might be involved in the plot of The Batman: Part II.

What does the ending of The Penguin mean for Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight? 35x6s

One of the highlights of The Penguin is how the limited series shows the corrupt and inhumane modus operandi of Arkham Asylum. Since the prison for the mentally ill is such a cornerstone of the Dark Knight mythos, Pattinson’s Batman will probably revisit the place in The Batman: Part II. When that happens, he might learn what truly happens behind Arkham walls and try to take the place down or reform it. That would be the perfect way to tie The Penguin and the movies.

In The Batman, Bruce learns that his mother spent some time in Arkham, a fact his father did everything to hide from the press. Being the obsessive investigator we love, Bruce will probably dig deeper into his family’s past, taking him to Arkham. With Selina keeping in touch with Sofia and Catwoman being an ally to Batman, the three characters might work together to expose the nefarious things that happen in Arkham.

Following the events of The Penguin, The Batman: Part II also has to explain Batman’s inexplicable absence from the show. There’s just too much death and destruction in The Penguin for it to go unnoticed by Gotham City’s nocturnal protector. The Bat-Signal at the end of The Penguin teases how the Dark Knight will investigate Oz’s actions as Gotham’s new kingpin. Nevertheless, the movie must also explain why Batman was nowhere to be seen for weeks without end, as a new drug flooded Gotham and prominent crime lords fell like flies.

In an interview with SFX Magazine, Reeves revealed that Part II will deal with “digging into the epic story about deeper corruption.” Arkham is part of this corruption, for sure. However, the depths of the issue mean some influential people are pulling the strings in Gotham and might have subdued Batman during the events of The Penguin. Whatever the case might be, it’s going to be hard to wait until 2026 to see how the story of The Penguin unfolds.

As a spinoff of The Batman, The Penguin‘s story is tied to Matt Reeves’ beloved movie. However, Episode 7 pushes the show’s logic to its brink by not having the Dark Knight glide to an atrocious crime scene.

From a production’s point of view, it makes sense that Robert Pattinson’s Batman doesn’t have a cameo in The Penguin. The show is about Oswald Cobb’s (Colin Farrell) ascension to the position of Gotham City’s kingpin, so the creative team wants to keep all eyes on the villain. Of course, fans were bound to be disappointed by this decision, which is why Reeves warned everyone of Batman’s absence even before The Penguin‘s premiere.

Nevertheless, knowing the Dark Knight would not appear in The Penguin didn’t prevent fans from looking for signs of Batman in every dark corner. For the series’ first episodes, it was easy to think Bruce Wayne would be recovering from his battle against Riddler’s (Paul Dano) goons or maybe figuring out how to be more than a symbol of fear. After all, most of The Penguin’s events happen in just a few days. Yet, it became harder to believe Batman would not look into Gotham City’s gang wars after Episode 6, which features a significant time jump and shows how a new drug, Bliss, has flooded the streets.

Episode 7 takes everyone’s suspension of disbelief to its breaking point. In it, Sofia Gigante (Cristin Milioti) sends a bomb to Oz’s underground base of operations, literally blowing his business off the map. The explosion also creates a massive hole in the middle of Crown Point, the same neighborhood affected by Riddler’s flood. That means the people of Crown Point were already struggling to survive before the gang war blew them up into pieces. There’s no way Batman would just ignore this event. Right? Well, that might be the point.

It makes no sense for Batman to ignore ‘The Penguin’s events, but that might be the point 2s4a3q

After the end of The Batman, Bruce Wayne learns that he does more good to Gotham City when he tries to help people and be a symbol of hope than when he punches lowlife criminals in the face to become a symbol of fear. So, it’s fair to assume that Bruce is using Wayne’s fortune to help the people of Gotham recover from Riddler’s terrorist attacks. There’s no way Bruce would not be involved in Crown Point, helping to turn the lights back on, for instance. Yet, it’s the Penguin who does the job. Likewise, Batman would be all over Bliss once he heard about a new drug poisoning Gotham. But the Penguin’s only challenger is Sofia. There has to be a reason for this.

Reeves underlined how The Penguin sets the stage for The Batman Part II, the director’s highly-anticipated sequel. So, maybe disgruntled fans should start asking why Batman is nowhere to be seen. We can all agree that, at this point, it makes no sense for the Dark Knight to keep avoiding Oz. He had time to heal, time to rethink his crimefighting approach, and time to investigate the deaths of the Falcones. The only logical conclusion is that something is preventing Batman from protecting Gotham. Whatever it may be, it’s probably the threat from The Batman Part II.

There are still no details available on the plot of The Batman Part II, but thanks to Pattinson’s absence from The Penguin, we can know one thing. Someone has trapped Bruce Wayne or sent him away for a long time, enough for Oz to take control of Gotham. Whoever the responsible are, they surely will be formidable foes for the sequel.

If there is one kind of film that can get people’s heads turning, it’s a Stephen King adaptation. If there are two, it’s a Stephen King adaptation we’ve been waiting five years since its announcement to see. And if there are three, it’s a Stephen King adaptation we’ve been waiting five years to see that also happens to be not-that-great, which is, of course, a key ingredient in pandering to the shoddy viewing habits of the average streaming service .

‘Salem’s Lot just happens to be that third kind of film, and its overwhelming ascent to the top of the Max charts has plunged this particular Top 10 arena into a whole new era, complete with the oddest little footnote the streamer could have possibly conjured.

Per FlixPatrol, this day of Oct. 8 has seen ‘Salem’s Lot rocket to the top of the worldwide film rankings on Max, leaving Will Smith’s Bad Boys: Ride or Die (now in second place) firmly in the dust. Other prominent of ‘Salem’s Lot‘s newly-conquered domain include a seventh-place The Batman (whose goal of recruiting more great movies to the Top 10 will have to wait as Halloween gets underway), and a sixth-place Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, a longtime streaming villain whose dearth of creativity is a more terrifying horror story than ‘Salem’s Lot — both diegetically and production-wise — could ever hope to be.

Except ‘Salem’s Lot actually could have been a horror classic. It is, of course, quite literally based on one of the most prominent horror novels of all time, and it’s just as timely a story now as it was back in 1975.

But unfortunately, a weak narrative and the relative absence of human emotion stripped down the first-ever ‘Salem’s Lot film adaptation into Just Another Vampire Story. The worst part? If there was ever a time to talk about how we desperately need to quit tolerating a culture that won’t put its foot down on enough venomous evils (as the original novel did with impunity), it’s right the hell now.

On the other end of the consequentiality spectrum is Treasure Trackers, a decidedly unceremonious B-movie that, back in the day, probably would have been given the direct-to-video treatment. Instead, it’s landed directly on streaming, and happens to be genially bumbling around the charts in 10th place.

The film follows three middle-schoolers on the hunt for a legendary treasure chest said to be hidden somewhere in their hometown; a hunt that ultimately goes sideways when the treasure turns out to be a spooky curse.

One look at the poster says everything you need to know; Treasure Trackers’ prime directive is to serve up a safe, pleasant, ankle-deep, preschool-appropriate romp that captures the Halloween spirit without being the least bit scary. Think Goonies, but designed in a way that it could not have possibly been rejected by anything less milquetoast than the Disney Channel or a kindergarten classroom.

It’s honestly genuinely adorable that the first royal decree of the bloodthirsty ‘Salem’s Lot was to ensure its G-rated sidekick received a place in the Max rankings. Indeed, you can’t have shadows without a bit of light.

With Joker: Folie à Deux, co-writer and director Todd Phillips bids his farewell to DC. Still, he leaves enough breadcrumbs for another filmmaker to follow in Joker 3, in case the sequel makes enough money for Warner Bros. Discovery to push for a trilogy.

Warning: The following article contains major spoilers for Joker: Folie à Deux.

With Joker: Folie à Deux, Phillips wants to ensure everyone that his DC filmmaking journey has ended. That’s why he kills Arthur Fleck in a controversial ending that strokes Phillips’ ego while purposely angering Joker’s fans. That sounds like the end of an era, as there’s no way to imagine Joker 3 without Phoenix. However, artistic integrity never prevented Warner Bros. Discovery from going after more money. So, it’s fair to assume the death of a main character won’t stop them if Folie à Deux turns a considerable profit – a scenario that’s not too likely.

Nevertheless, there has been chatter about WBD’s CEO David Zaslov growing restless with James Gunn taking his time to cook the new DC Universe. Zaslov reportedly wants Batman, DC’s big money-maker, to appear sooner than Gunn planned and has apparently even suggested putting Matt Reeves’ version of the Dark Knight in the main DC Studios continuity.

Since Zaslav will probably face resistance from Reeves (who wants to keep things grounded) and Gunn (who plans to introduce clones and immortal assassins), Joker: Folie à Deux might be just the hook WBD needs to fish more Batman content. That’s because Phillips left some major loose threads in the sequel.

Joker: Folie à Deux introduces three major Batman villains 1l1d4n

Joker: Folie à Deux revolves around the trial of Arthur Fleck, aka Joker. Thanks to its courthouse drama structure, the sequel can dive deep into Arthur’s motivations and discuss to what point he’s just a victim of society or a vicious killer. Ultimately, Arthur rejects the Joker persona, accepts the blame for his crimes, and disappoints his followers. 

One disgruntled Joker fan, an unnamed Arkham Asylum input, shivs Arthur for being such a disappointment. This inmate also slashes his face, laughing hysterically while carving a smile on his cheeks. The self-inflicted wounds are meant to echo the fan-favorite character design sported by Heath Ledger in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. Barry Keoghan, who plays Joker in Matt Reeves’ universe, also sports similar scars. So, with some retcon efforts, Warner Bros. Discovery might try to fit Joker and The Batman into the same canon, with a potential Joker 3 bridging the gap. Or the threequel can be a true origin story for the actual Joker.

At the end of Joker: Folie à Deux, Harleen “Lee” Quinzel (Lady Gaga) is also free to pursue her twisted dreams. She is obsessed with Joker but doesn’t care about Arthur, so his death shouldn’t linger on her mind. Joker 3 could explore Lee’s future in Gotham City as she keeps searching for a deranged soulmate or decides to rise to the occasion by herself. Who knows, maybe they could even commit to an actual musical with Gaga as the main star instead of the sluggish and cowardly approach Folie à Deux took for its musical scenes.

Joker: Folie à Deux also introduces a third Batman villain. Kind of. In the movie, recently elected District Attorney Harvey Dent (Harry Lawtey) represents Gotham City in the case against Arthur Fleck. This version of Harvey has nothing to do with his comic book counterpart. However, the DA is caught in the blast of an explosion. He survives and has wounds on one side of his face, Phillips’ shy homage to Two-Face. Joker 3 could also explore the aftermath of Arthur’s trial and Dent’s road to villainy.

A threequel could work if they keep Joker 3 separated from Reeves’ The Batman and the DCU. Fingers crossed, WBD’s greed won’t taint multiple franchises.

Last week, when we checked in on the Max streaming battlefield, The Watchers had captured the position of number one most-watched movie, plunging the Top 10 into a state of civil unrest. Its first order of business post-victory was to enlist hard-boiled blockbusters Bad Boys: Ride or Die and Fury to enforce order upon the rankings, and shuffle Madame Web‘s dwindling presence off the charts with the help of folk hero Shrek, who shored the table up from the bottom at #10. This, while long-time Max champion Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga struggled to maintain influence in the top three.

Imagine the surprise on The Watchers‘ face, however, when Bad Boys: Ride or Die, one of its prize recruits, decided to steal that power away from Ishana Night Shyamalan’s directorial debut this week, at once crumbling the Shyamalan new world order, and plunging the charts into complete and utter anarchy. Truly, the ranks of most-watched streaming offerings stand on ever-shifting ground, where alliances are short-lived and lifespans are measured in half-minutes.

Per FlixPatrol, this day of Sept. 25 has seen Bad Boys: Ride or Die — the fourth installment of Will Smith and Martin Lawrence’s storied buddy cop series — clamber to the top of the Max Top 10 film rankings, with The Watchers now coming in at second place, hoping to make Ride or Die pay for its mutinous abuse of box office and critical score supremacy.

As for Furiosa, that reign has very nearly come to an end. Indeed, after being a reigning force for weeks on end following its disappointing box office run, the Chris Hemsworth-starring action odyssey now sits nestled at the bottom of the Top 10 at, well, number 10, which will likely be the site of its last hurrah as it drifts back into Max’s depths.

Enter The Batman in eighth place, who owes much of its current drawing power to its new, in-universe, episodic series cousin, The Penguin, which just debuted its first episode on Max last week. Thus bolstered, The Batman is poised to lead Beetlejuice, currently at fifth place, into the fire and flames as it seeks to recruit more great movies to its cause. For the time being, however, the rest of the Top 10 is littered with unattached insurgents.

There’s The Garfield Movie, who now drifts aimlessly in fourth place, and Fury, the David Ayer-directed star-studded war film that seems to be reluctantly fending for itself at ninth place. Elsewhere, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire — once a commanding officer of the forces of darkness — scavenges the wasteland in sixth place, no doubt scheming for a rebuild/counterattack.

Out of Darkness, meanwhile, has ended its solitary hibernation (befitting of a horror thriller like itself) after being away from the charts for several weeks, using its prestigious critical reputation to buy itself the nice, lofty position of third place.

But most interesting is the absence of The Killer, the Netflix original film that somehow snuck its way into Max, where it held onto the fifth-place position for a suspiciously long time. Replacing it in this equation — albeit with a seventh-place position — is About Time, the Domhnall Gleeson-led sci-fi rom-com that has traveled back in time to warn the rest of the chart’s denizens about what lies ahead. Exactly what does lie ahead is anyone’s guess, but whatever heroes rise, whatever factions form, the battle for streaming supremacy will rage on.

The follow-up to critically beloved The Batman has finally swam into view. Max’s The Penguin takes place a week after the events of Riddler’s (Paul Dano) terrorist plot against the Gotham seawall, and it sees Colin Farrell reprise his role as the newly dubbed Oswald Cobb, who has yet to fit into the shoes of the Penguin.

Among one of Batman’s gallery of rogues, the new series follows Oz’s attempts to seize power in the wake of Carmine Falcone’s — now played by Mark Strong — death. The first episode aired on the streaming platform on Sept. 19 and did not disappoint. Entitled “After Hours,” the series premiere is on par with a gritty character-driven feature film.

The events of the show kick off when Oz impulsively kills Carmine’s son, Alberto Falcone. He quickly realizes the ramifications of this rash act but once it happens, there is no undoing it. Once the episode starts, there is a domino effect that cannot be stopped. With the help of his new acolyte, Vick (Rhenzy Feliz), Oz travels around Gotham trying to tie up loose ends and cover his tracks. The wrench in the plan is the arrival of Alberto’s sister, Sofia (Cristin Milioti) who knows more than she lets on. The episode is a captivating character drama that opens the door to many more episodes.

With over 5 million views over the premiere weekend, there is no doubt that fans are in agreement. However, as much as The Penguin is a home run for both DC Studios and Max, the show still has not dethroned one of the biggest premieres on the streaming platform to date.

The Last of Us ratings make it the reigning king of Max streaming 703mw

DC has a certain amount of marketability that ensures viewers will tune in, but The Last of Us was almost an anomaly. Though adapted from the highly successful video game of the same name, the post-apocalyptic series had a lot riding against it. Video game adaptations, for one, are not guaranteed success as tends to be the case for superhero projects. Quite the opposite in fact. In the past, adapting a video game has generally been a recipe for disaster.

In the hands of original creator Neil Druckmann and Chernobyl writer Craig Mazin, however, The Last of Us flouted tradition. For one, the strength of the game was on their side. Druckmann had already created a cinematic story that just happened to be a video game. Set in the aftermath of a worldwide virus, the characters have to survive the Infected as well as fascist regimes that have risen to make order. At the center of it are Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey), an unlikely father-daughter duo. Still reeling from the tragic death of his daughter, Joel reluctantly agrees to shepherd an orphan teenager across state lines. As they encounter the horrors of the world, they naturally grow to love each other. But violence is a sick and ugly cycle.

The Last of Us adaptation turned out to be a massive success, in many ways improving upon the game. It was evident from the very beginning that the series would become a juggernaut. On the first night alone, the premiere of the show amassed over 4 million views. More than likely, this would mean it would have eclipsed The Penguin‘s record which was counted after four days. While the DC property may have missed out on the record by a slim margin, there is no doubt that television is back. At least on Max.

While The Penguin focuses on the aftermath of Riddler’s (Paul Dano) terrorist attacks, the show nods to Gotham City’s past. More specifically, the limited series reveals that Colin Farrell’s Oz Cobb was inspired by a gangster named Rex Calabrese.

Spoiler alert: The following article contains spoilers for The Batman and episode 1 of The Penguin.

Rex Calabrese is a relatively recent addition to DC Comics. The villain is the product of a t effort by several prominent DC Comics creators. Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Ray Fawkes, John Layman, Tim Seeley, and artist Jason Fabok collaborated to bring The Lion to life in 2014’s Batman Eternal #14, expanding Gotham City’s mythology. However, the character’s DC Comics version is quite different from the one in Matt Reeves’ “Batman Epic Crime Saga.”

Who is Rex Calabrese in DC Comics? 4s414c

Rex Calabrese was a formidable crime boss who dominated Gotham’s underworld decades before Batman’s emergence. His reign was characterized by ruthless efficiency that earned him the moniker “The Lion,” a persona enhanced by his scarred face and the use of fake razor-sharp fangs. Calabrese’s approach to power was distinctly old-school, eschewing the theatrical antics of later Gotham villains in favor of more traditional organized crime tactics.

In DC Comics, The Lion’s rule over Gotham’s criminal elements ended with the rise of Carmine “The Roman” Falcone. While Calabrese lost control of the underworld to Falcone, he managed to avoid death by going into hiding. Adopting the alias “Leo Leone,” Calabrese was eventually incarcerated in Blackgate Penitentiary, where his true identity remained a secret for years.

The most significant aspect of Rex Calabrese’s character is his connection to Selina Kyle, better known as Catwoman. Calabrese is revealed to be Selina’s biological father in a twist introduced in the New 52 era of DC Comics. According to this rebooted origin, Calabrese abandoned Selina at a very young age, leaving her to shuffle through foster homes before being raised by the Kyle family. Decades later, he encourages Selina to embrace her heritage and take control of Gotham’s underworld, urging her to unify the crime families under her leadership.

The Penguin changes Rex Calabrese’s DC legacy 406ed

In the series premiere for The Penguin, Oz talks about how Rex Calabrese was an old-time crime lord who believed in giving back to the community. As Oz describes him, Rex was ready to use his money and influence to help those in need. Unsurprisingly, Oswald’s neighborhood threw a parade in Rex’s name after the criminal’s ing. The Penguin envies the love Rex got for his deeds, and his desire to have the same amount of respect is the driving force behind his ruthless actions.

It’s clear Matt Reeves’ has different plans for Rex in his Bat-universe. For starters, The Batman establishes that Carmine Falcone (John Turturro) is Selina Kyle’s (Zoë Kravitz) father. Furthermore, when talking about the Falcones’ history with Victor (Rhenzy Feliz), Oz mentions the family came from Sicily six decades before the critically acclaimed limited series events. 

Things are vague enough for Reeves to use Rex Falcone’s comic book history in projects. Nevertheless, it looks like he is making some changes by giving Selina a different father and playing down Rex’s influence in Gotham’s underworld. Be it as it may, bringing Rex Falcone, at least in name, shows how devoted Reeves is to the Gotham City’s mythos. Instead of just adding the name Rex as an easter egg, Reeves ensured his influence is felt through The Penguin, the unofficial heir of The Lion’s fallen empire.