The Penguin: Showrunner On John Turturro Not Reprising His Role As Carmine Falcone From The Batman In The HBO Show: “Even Though, Maybe In The Beginning…”

John Turturro amazed fans with his spectacular performance as Carmine Falcone in the 2022 film The Batman. While the character met its end in the film, audiences expected to see Turturro in The Penguin in flashback scenes.

However, when the show dropped on HBO, viewers were surprised to see that Turturro had been replaced by Mark Strong. Showrunner Lauren LeFranc has now opened up about the casting choice, revealing the reason behind Turturro’s departure from the franchise.

John Turturro Couldn’t Return as Carmine Falcone in The Penguin Due to Scheduling Conflicts

Lauren LeFranc has revealed that John Turturro had other work commitments, so could not be available during the shooting schedule of The Penguin. Hence, the team decided to recast the character of Carmine Falcone and went ahead with Kingsman: The Secret Service actor Mark Strong.

“Well, practically, John was just unavailable to us. He had scheduling conflicts, and we couldn’t make it work,” LeFranc said in an interview with IGN. The showrunner further praised Strong for the depth he brought to the character, saying, “Honestly, I’m so thrilled that we brought Mark Strong on. I think he’s really good.”

LeFranc added that fans might miss Turturro initially, but they will appreciate Strong’s iteration of the character by the end of the episode. “Even though, maybe in the beginning when you first meet him, you might think, ‘Oh. Well, for fans of The Batman, I’m so used to John Turturro,’ and obviously, John’s a great actor, 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,” she concluded.

Strong is not new to the villainous world as he has played a bad man in several films in the past, including Kick-Ass (2010), Green Lantern (2011), and Shazam! (2019). Meanwhile, Turturro was last seen in the Prime Video series Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

The Penguin stars Colin Farrell in the titular character along with Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, Deirdre O’Connell, Clancy Brown, Carmen Ejogo, and Michael Zegen. Following its premiere on September 19, the show is set to air new episodes weekly on Sundays.

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