"It's very specific" - The real reason Carmine Falcone got a new actor in The Penguin

The first episode of The Batman spinoff, The Penguin, just premiered on HBO and Max. Bringing us back to Matt Reeves' DC universe, showrunner Lauren Lefranc tells the story of Oswald Cobb following the events of the film and explores his rise as a crime lord in Gotham City after Carmine Falcone's death caused a power vacuum in the criminal underworld.

While actor John Turturro played Carmine Falcone in The Batman, while watching The Penguin, fans might have noticed that a different actor is now playing the character in the show. The actor happens to be none other than star Mark Strong - who has also appeared in previous DC productions like Green Lanter, Shazam!, and Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

While fans might be wondering why John Turturro didn't return to play Falcone in The Penguin, showrunner Lauren Lefranc explained that it was due to scheduling conflicts in an interview with IGN.

"Well, practically, John was just unavailable to us," said Lauren. "He had scheduling conflicts, and we couldn't make it work, but honestly, I'm so thrilled that we brought Mark Strong on. I think he's really good. 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."

While Mark Strong is confirmed to appear in future episodes of The Penguin, fans just get to see a first look at him in a newspaper clipping in the show. You can check out the first episode of the series as it is streaming on HBO and Max right now.

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What happened to Carmine Falcone in The Batman?

Prior to Mark Strong portraying Carmine Falcone in The Penguin, actor John Turturro played the role in The Batman. In the film, Falcone was one of the antagonists and controlled the Drops business in Gotham as well. As a matter of fact, Oswald was one of his enforcers as well.

One of the major plot points in the film revolved around Batman trying to find the "rat" that helped bring down Sal Maroni's operation in order to solve the Riddler's riddle, and that rat was revealed to be Carmine Falcone.

However, when Falcone was arrested for his crimes, he was gunned down by the Riddler which caused a power struggle among various crime families in the city.

So, it certainly looks like Mark Strong will be playing Carmine Falcone in flashbacks of The Penguin, and won't have a large role in the show due to the villain being dead in this universe.

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What is The Penguin about?

The Penguin is a DC comics series that is a spinoff of The Batman. The show is developed by Lauren Lefranc and takes place 1 week after the events of the film. Colin Farrell returns to play the DC villain in the series.

The show follows Oswald Cobb as he tries to deal with the events of The Batman. Amidst Carmine Falcone's death, there is a major power struggle among various crime families in Gotham as they try to go for the big prize.

Finding an opportunity, Oswald tries to make a name for himself as well with the show, exploring his rise to power.

Alongside Colin Farrell, the series also stars Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, Clancy Brown, and more. You can stream the first episode of the show on Max right now.