Just before announcing that he’ll be directing Superman: Legacy, DC Studios Co-CEO James Gunn dispelled a rumor involving the rights to the Batman villain the Penguin.
A Twitter account called “The Art of the Batman” tweeted out a CBR article that says Robert Pattinson will not be able to appear in the upcoming series The Penguin as Batman, but that he could appear as Bruce Wayne or The Drifter — his civilian disguise. This was attributed to a rights issue between “Fox, Disney, and a trio of mergers.” Gunn replied to this tweet and shut down the rumor, simply stating, “This is not true.”
When another user asked if he was referring to Pattinson’s appearance or the rights issue being untrue, Gunn clarified that the rights issue is the false part.
Set in the world of the 2022’s The Batman, the HBO Max series will focus on Oswald Cobblepot. The Penguin will be based on the DC characters created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. It is being written by Lauren LeFranc, who is also set as the showrunner. The first two episodes will be directed by Craig Zobel.