It’s the day of The Penguin premiere, and one of the series’ biggest questions has finally been answered. As soon as it was revealed that Mark Strong would take over the role of legendary Gotham crime boss Carmine Falcone from John Turturro, fans everywhere were questioning why, considering Turturro was universally beloved in the 2022 DC film. However, in addition to being a great choice to play Carmine Falcone, Turturro is also a very busy man, which is the main reason why someone else had to step in and take over the role. During a recent interview with IGN, The Penguin showrunner and executive producer Lauren LeFranc was asked about the recast, to which she revealed that there were no harsh feelings about parting ways with Turturro, and Strong was the perfect person to take over the role:
“Well, practically, John was just unavailable to us. He had scheduling conflicts, and we couldn’t make it work, but honestly, I’m so thrilled that we brought Mark Strong on. I think he’s really good. Even though, maybe in the beginning when you first meet him, you might think, ‘Oh Well, for fans of The Batman, obviously I’m so used to John Turturro,’ but I feel like the gravitas that Mark brings, it’s different. It’s very specific, and I hope, by the end of that episode, you’re just thinking, ‘That’s Carmine Falcone,’ and you’re engaged in what Mark brings to it.”
Carmine Falcone is far from the first character to be recast due to scheduling conflicts, and he certainly won’t be the last. It’s unclear what Turturro was working on to keep him from playing one of the most notorious figures in Gotham’s criminal underworld, but it’s possible that it was his work on Severance Season 2 that stopped him from reprising his role from The Batman. The Penguin wrapped filming just over six months ago, and Severance Season 2 wrapped a few months after that, so it’s highly likely both of these series were filming at the same time, and Turturro could only commit to one. Considering his character is a staple in the hit Apple TV+ series, and it sounds like Falcone only features in one episode of The Penguin, Turturro likely prioritized Severance over the upcoming DC series.
Who Else Stars in ‘The Penguin’?
The Penguin will see Colin Farrell return and reprise his role from The Batman as the titular character, and the Max series has assembled quite a supporting cast around him. Christine Milloti will play Sofia Falcone, daughter of Carmine Falcone and next in line to take over his duties. Clancy Brown will also star in the series as another Gotham crime boss, Salvatore Maroni, with other big names such as Michael Kelly, Rhenzy Feliz, Theo Rossi, Myles Humphus, and David H. Holmes all starring as well. It’s unknown at this time if Robert Pattinson will reprise his role as Bruce Wayne in the series.
The Penguin premieres tonight, and subsequent episodes will begin streaming Sundays at 9 o’clock Eastern Time. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates and coverage of the series and watch The Penguin on Max.
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