New episodes of The Penguin air Sundays at 9 pm ET on HBO and are released on Max shortly thereafter. Following the conclusion of the miniseries, the shared universe known as the Batman Epic Crime Saga will pick back up when The Batman: Part II is released on October 2, 2026.

Speaking to Variety, The Big Lebowski actor said the reason for not returning to the role went beyond scheduling. “I did what I wanted with the role,” he said. “In the show, there was a lot of violence towards women, and that’s not my thing.”

Showrunner Lauren LeFranc responds after the actor says he turned down The Penguin in part because of the show's amount of "violence towards women."

If you’re wondering why John Turturro didn’t reprise his “The Batman” role in the currently airing spinoff series, “The Penguin,” the actor has a good explanation. In an interview with Variety, Turturro reveals that he declined to reprise his film role as Gotham City mob boss Carmine Falcone for the HBO series.

The Batman's John Turturro explains why he didn't return as Carmine Falcone, but it doesn't match the reason given by the producers of The Penguin.

John Turturro played Carmine Falcone in The Batman but didn't reprise his role for The Penguin because he couldn't handle the mob boss's villainy.

John Turturro has revealed why he decided to not return as The Batman character Carmine Falcone for the Max series The Penguin.