In “The Batman” actor John Turturro plays the role of Carmine Falcones. The role also appears in the HBO series “The Penguin”, but is played by Mark Strong. In an interview, John Turturro revealed why he no longer wanted to play the role in the spin-off series.
Danger: This article contains spoilers for the series “The Penguin” and the film “The Batman”!
What is “The Penguin” about? “The Penguin” is an HBO series based on the events in the film “The Batman.” Oswald “Oz” Cobb, who is often referred to as “Penguin” because of his waddling manner and his face, sees his chance for advancement in the Gotham underworld.
The two biggest gangster families, the Maronis and the Falcones, are at war and Oswald tries to play both sides against each other. This is how he hopes to have the opportunity to become an underworld great himself.
The Falcones’ boss is Carmine Falcone, who dies in “The Batman”, but appears in flashbacks in the series “The Penguin”. His slightly younger version is played by the actor Mark Strong.
You can get a first impression of the series with the trailer:
The Penguin – The official trailer for the series of a comic villain
More videos
Autoplay
John Turturro there is too much violence against women in “The Penguin”
Why doesn’t John Turturro play Carmine Falcone anymore? In an interview with Variety, the actor said that although he was offered the role again, he turned it down because “there was a lot of violence against women on the show.” According to the actor, that was “not his thing”.
The ways Falcone is portrayed in the series and the film are different. In both depictions the crime boss is very violent and brutal, but in “The Batman” these characteristics are largely only implied and not constantly shown.
In “The Penguin,” on the other hand, we see a brutal Carmine Falcone who doesn’t shy away from murdering his own wife if she gets in his way.
The actor further said in the interview that he did whatever he wanted with the role. One can only assume that the more explicit violence emanating from Falcone in The Penguin was not what John Turturro wanted to convey with his portrayal of Falcone.
Another reason for rejection: a very simple scheduling conflict. John Turturro himself says: “You can’t do everything you want.”
The Penguin or Oswald Cobblepot is one of the most famous Batman villains. The series has already impressed some viewers, not only because it’s about the penguin, but also because it reminds them of another very popular mafia series: New series with Batman villains scores 93% and is compared to The Sopranos