The Penguin cast a different actor in the role of mob boss Carmine Falcone, and now we know why. John Turturro originally played one of Gotham’s biggest antagonists in 2022’s The Batman, but he was replaced in HBO spinoff series The Penguin by Mark Strong.

Showrunner Lauren LeFranc responds after the actor says he turned down The Penguin in part because of the show's amount of "violence towards women."

The Batman's John Turturro explains why he didn't return as Carmine Falcone, but it doesn't match the reason given by the producers of The Penguin.

Turturro said he was okay with the violence in "The Batman" because it "happens off screen." John Turturro is game for gritty material, but he has to draw a line somewhere. "I did what I wanted to with the role,

We’re more than halfway into The Penguin ’s run on HBO, and along with Colin Farrell’s Oswald Cobb being placed front and center, we’ve also seen some other fellow The Batman alums briefly reprise their roles.

HBO’s The Penguin has a ton of connections to Matt Reeves’ The Batman, but one is proving more interesting than others. In Reeves’ film, John Turturro played crime boss Carmine Falcone, a character who returns in flashbacks for The Penguin.