The Penguin cast a different actor in the role of mob boss Carmine Falcone, and now we know why. John Turturro originally played one of Gotham’s biggest antagonists in 2022’s The Batman, but he was replaced in HBO spinoff series The Penguin by Mark Strong.

Additionally, the episode “Cent'Anni” included flashbacks featuring Carmine Falcone, only rather than being reprised by John Turturro, Mark Strong played the younger version of the character. Although Turturro’s absence from this DC TV show airing running on the 2024 TV schedule was initially attributed to scheduling conflicts,

The Batman star John Turturro has revealed what stopped him from reprising his role as Carmine Falcone in The Penguin.

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."

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.

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.

HBO’s The Penguin has a ton of connections to Matt Reeves’ The Batman, but one is proving more interesting than others. In Reeves’ film, John Turturro played crime boss Carmine Falcone, a character who returns in flashbacks for The Penguin.

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