In this week’s episode of The Penguin, we’re (queue up the Huey Lewis and the News) going back in time to see what went wrong with the Falcone family, leading to the situation we find them in, in the first three episodes of the series. But when we do, John Turturro won’t be playing family patriarch Carmine Falcone, like he did in The Batman. Instead, Mark Strong is taking over the role for the episode (and possibly beyond).
So why is Mark Strong playing Carmine Falcone instead of John Turturro? Is this part of some sort of juicy Hollywood gossip? Was there a big blow-out? Is John Turturro dead???
Uh, none of those things. John Turturro is very much alive. So alive, in fact, that he’s been busy with multiple projects, and was unable to make time to film his role in The Penguin.
“Well, practically, John was just unavailable to us,” showrunner Lauren LeFranc told IGN during an interview prior to the series premiering. “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.”
So yeah, no weird conspiracy theories here, just a busy actor, and another actor who was able to jump in and help out. Interestingly (well, to me), Mark Strong is a veteran of multiple DC Comics-based roles. He played Sivana in both Shazam movies and Sinestro in the much-maligned Green Lantern movie. And in both cases, his character was set up for something bigger that will never materialize. Same here. Unless we get a whole Gotham City flashback series or movie, Carmine Falcone (played by Turturro) was killed at the end of The Batman, and this episode of The Penguin is a one-and-done. Don’t expect either Turturro or Strong to play Carmine Falcone in The Batman Part II.
But It’s A Flashback, Right? That’s Why They Got A Younger Carmine Falcone?
Ummm… No. Yes, this week’s episode, “Cent’Anni,” sets things about 10 years earlier before and during when Sofia Falcone (Cristin MIlioti) was sent to Arkham. But the goal wasn’t to have a younger Carmine Falcone, it was that Turturro wasn’t available. Look no further than every other actor, from Milioti to Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobb playing the same characters they play in the present — which is actually 2022, so technically the past.
The point is that Strong’s casting has nothing to do with his age. In fact, Strong is currently 61 years old, and Turturro is 67. So it’s not even that much of a gap between the two. It was availability, and that’s it.
Why Was Turturro Too Busy For The Penguin? What’s He Working On, Anyway?
As for what was keeping Turturro so busy? Unclear. The Penguin was filmed from March 1, 2023, through May 16, 2023, and then again from May 18, 2023, through June 14, 2023, before getting shut down by the SAG/AFTRA strike. Filming began again on November 17, 2023, and finally wrapped on February 17, 2024. Turturro has one of the lead roles in Pedro Almodóvar’s The Room Next Door, which didn’t start filming until the month after The Penguin wrapped. Then there’s The Cut, which was filmed in Nevada in the summer of 2023, which seems like a likely suspect.
But perhaps most likely is that commitments to Apple TV+’s Severance Season 2, a high priority for the streamer, likely kept Tutturro on hold. That was meant to film from October 3, 20233 through May 12, 2023, got shut down by the WGA strike on May 8, resumed on May 13, and then was also shut down by the SAG-AFTRA strike until early 2024. While the busy actor worked on other projects in the intervening time (see The Cut), wildly speculating here but I’d imagine Apple had Turturro on call so they could finish the season.
Where To Watch The Penguin:
The Penguin Premiere Dates And Episode Guide:
The first episode of The Penguin premieres Thursday, September 19 at 9 pm ET on HBO and Max. There will be an encore airing on Sunday, September 22 at 9 pm ET, and then the show will move to its regular time slot of Sundays at 9 pm ET starting on September 29.
Here’s the full list of episodes in The Penguin, with premiere dates:
- Thursday, September 19, 2024: The Penguin, Episode 1: “After Hours”
- Sunday, September 29, 2024: The Penguin, Episode 2: “Inside Man”
- Sunday, October 6, 2024: The Penguin, Episode 3: “Bliss”
- Sunday, October 13, 2024: The Penguin, Episode 4: “Cent’Anni”
- Sunday, October 20, 2024: The Penguin, Episode 5: “Homecoming”
- Sunday, October 27, 2024: The Penguin, Episode 6: “Gold Summit”
- Sunday, November 3, 2024: The Penguin, Episode 7: “Top Hat”
- Sunday, November 10, 2024: The Penguin, Episode 8: “Great or Little Thing”
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