A new villain has joined the show. According to Deadline, Clancy Brown (The Shawshank Redemption, SpongeBob SquarePants) has been added to the cast of The Penguin. Brown is set to play Salvatore Maroni in a recurring role in the HBO Max limited drama series from DC Studios and Warner Bros. Television.
The limited drama will consist of eight episodes and will continue the crime saga that was set by Matt Reeves (Felicity, Cloverfield) in The Batman. The show will center around The Penguin, the character Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin, Thirteen Lives) played in The Batman.
According to Deadline, Maroni first appeared in the comics published by DC Comics. In the comics, he is a different type of villain that Batman has to confront. Unlike the more popular villains that Batman fights in Gotham City, Maroni is a mob boss and a gangster and does not possess any special powers or abilities. In any case, he created one of Batman’s greatest enemies when he disfigured Harvey Dent who then becomes Two-Face.
According to Comicbook, Brown will be the latest actor to portray this Gotham criminal that has made multiple appearances in live-action movies and TV shows. Dennis Paladino (Bronx Paradise, Forest Warrior) played the mobster in Batman Forever, while Eric Roberts (The Expendables, Inherent Vice) played Maroni in The Dark Knight and David Zayas (Dexter, Skyline) played Salvatore in the TV series Gotham.
The cast of the show also includes Cristin Milioti (The Resort, Made for Love) who will play Sofia Falcone; Shohreh Aghdashloo (The Expanse, The Cuban), Michael Kelly (Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, House of Cards), Deirdre O’Connell (Outer Range, The Requin), and Rhenzy Feliz (Runaways, Encanto) will be playing unknown characters from Gotham City.
The series executive producers include Reeves, Dylan Clark (The Wilds, The Mayor), Farrell, and Bill Carraro (Dexter: New Blood, Lovecraft Country). Lauren LeFranc (Hemlock Grove, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D) serves as a writer, executive producer, and showrunner for the show. Craig Zobel (Mare of Easttown, The Hunt) will direct the first three episodes alongside executive production.
The Penguin will follow Oswald Cobblepot, played by Farrell, as he transforms from a disfigured regular citizen of Gotham City into one of the most noted Gotham gangsters and Batman villains.
DC Studios and HBO Max are keeping details of the show under wraps at the moment and no news regarding the release date of The Penguin has been released. In the meantime, The Batman starring Robert Pattinson (Twilight Saga, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) is available to stream on HBO Max.