Why John Turturro Didn't Return As The Batman Villain Carmine Falcone In The Penguin

Years after Matt Reeves' "The Batman" first released, the Gotham gang's back together in "The Penguin" — well, almost all of them, at least. Robert Pattinson's pointy-eared hero is nowhere to be seen, for better or worse, which leaves us with the ambitious mafioso Oz Cobb (Colin Farrell) as our main eyes and ears into the flooded city in this HBO spin-off series. The new storyline introduces a host of new characters and rivals seeking to claim the top spot in Gotham City's criminal underworld, including Clancy Brown's imprisoned Salvatore Maroni (who was merely referenced throughout "The Batman") and Cristin Milioti's Sofia Falcone, the daughter of the powerful gangster Carmine Falcone. He was portrayed as a major supporting figure in the 2022 movie by John Turturro before getting shot by the Riddler (Paul Dano) as part of his nefarious scheme, of course, yet he actually makes a return in "The Penguin" from beyond the grave through various flashbacks ... but played by another high-profile actor entirely.

"The Penguin" is set to premiere Thursday night (/Film's Chris Evangelista reviewed the series and noted that it would've been better off as a movie) and it will soon have fans wondering exactly why the kingpin Carmine Falcone is back with a rather noticeable difference. With "Kingsman" and "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" actor Mark Strong taking over for Turturro, it's not like creator Lauren LeFranc skimped on the star power this time around. As usually happens in this industry, however, the pivot occurred as a result of good ol' fashioned scheduling issues.

Recasting familiar characters is just part of the business, especially when attempting to recreate the success of a major blockbuster with a spin-off series. Contracts have to be renegotiated, tricky schedules have to be smoothed out well ahead of time, and the much greater time commitment even for a minor appearance has to factor in. As it turns out, "The Penguin" had to deal with the most mundane of issues when it came time to incorporating the character of Carmine Falcone into the plot of the series. While talking to IGN, series creator Lauren LeFranc opened up about why they couldn't make another John Turturro appearance work and why fans ought to look forward to Mark Strong's take on the character anyway:

"Well, practically, John was just unavailable to us. 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."

Don't worry, fans, the trademark mustache and slimy demeanor are all present and encountered for even in Strong's take on the character, as depicted in flashbacks. For a series with so much potential, it's hardly a deal-breaker (not nearly on the level of Farrell's strong dislike of his costume and prosthetics, of course). There are many more surprises to come, as fans will find out once "The Penguin" debuts on HBO and Max tonight at 9pm ET.