The Penguin is a great success for DC and HBO. After unsuccessful attempts for DC and CW (hello Gotham Knights), the successful handover to HBO for the superhero stable. The renaissance that began in the cinema with Joker et The Batman benefits the emblematic heroes of mythology, alongside the experiments of James Gunn and Peter Safran with their new DCU. As soon as Matt Reeves’ film was released in 2022, David Zaslav’s company had the ambition to explore at greater length the universe inspired by the project evolving around Robert Pattinson. With its aesthetic inspired by film noir and its heightened realism, Reeves’ copy was an opportunity to deliver major detective stories and gangster works. A series dedicated to Gotham PD was planned, as well as a small excursion to Arkham alongside several iconic antagonists. Finally, it is Oswald Cobblepot who will have the privilege of being offered a spin-off series.
It must be said that Colin Farrell made a strong impression despite the small role he plays in the Dark Knight’s investigation. The Batman also paved the way for exciting exploration of Gotham’s underworld, which finds itself without its leader. The death of Carmine Falcone left a vacant place, which Le Penguin hopes to fill. To better understand the background of the two characters, the creation of Lauren LeFranc had to involve the character played by John Turturro. However, to everyone’s surprise, it was not the latter who appeared in episode 4 broadcast this Monday on Max. Why such a change in distribution, even though Colin Farrell is back and the series wants to be directly linked to Matt Reeves’ film?
A busy schedule
Asked about the reasons for this change in distribution, the director explains that agenda conflicts are at the epicenter of this decision. She confides to Entertainment Weekly : “Did we originally want John to return as Carmine Falcone? Of course. John is a talented actor and he was exceptional in the film, but once we realized his schedule wouldn’t work for our series. We had to quickly determine who had the same seriousness and ferocity. Mark Strong has it all.”
The designer adds that it was “Really exciting to see how those scenes played out because it was so important to Sofia’s story. We certainly weren’t going to do without Carmine in our story”. This executioner aspect of the antiheroine is also one of the most beautiful ideas of The Penguin. The creator adds that she was helped by the temporality, to ensure a certain continuity with Matt Reeves’ film. The version that appeared in the series is “younger”thus offering a closer link between the two productions. Note that this is not the first time that Mark Strong has collaborated with DC, he was on the poster for Shazam! et Green Lantern. Although these two performances were not applauded by critics, The Penguin is an opportunity to finally shine within the lore.
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The Penguin is still broadcast on Max and met with certain success with the public and critics. This trend could encourage Warner Bros and DC to continue on the path of derivative series dedicated to the license. Next December, an animated series will serve as a gateway into the DC universe of James Gunn and Peter Safran. Before the release of Superman, it was with Creature Commandos that hostilities will be launched.
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