During last night's episode of The Penguin, titled "Cent'Anni," a flashback revealed the truth behind The Hangman and Carmine Falcone's role in his daughter, Sofia, being locked up in Arkham.
As you'll likely recall, Carmine was shot and killed by The Riddler in The Batman. In that movie, he was played by Transformers star John Turturro. However, in The Penguin, Shazam! and Green Lantern star Mark Strong takes over the role, adding yet another DC character to his résumé.
Talking to Entertainment Weekly, showrunner Lauren LeFranc confirmed the intention had been to bring Turturro back as the gangster.
"Initially, did we want to be able to have John come back and be Carmine Falcone? Of course," she revealed. "John's a really talented actor and was exceptional in the film, but once we realized that his schedule wasn't going to work out for our show, it became quickly about who has that sort of gravitas and ferociousness, that Mark Strong actually does have."
"It was really exciting to see how those scenes turned out because he was so seminal to Sofia's story. We certainly weren't going to not have Carmine in our story. We very specifically plotted Sofia's arc to be interwoven with Carmine's arc, as well."
While Turturro and Strong aren't ever likely to be mistaken for each other, the fact this episode's flashbacks took place a decade in the past helped LeFranc justify the recasting.
"They're similar ages, but a little bit younger," she explains. "You'd have to ask Mark, but I think he did look at the portrayal and the accent [in The Batman]. I keep using the word gravitas, but it was very important that he has a presence, certainly with Sofia, that there's a hint of warmth, but also something very cold at his center. It felt cohesive to me in watching him. It felt to me like that is her father."
As for the way things play out for Sofia in this episode (you can read our full recap here), LeFranc compares her story arch to that of Rosemary Kennedy, the sister of President John F. Kennedy who was lobotomized at 23 on her father's orders.
"It's unclear how mentally ill she was or if she just did things that they felt were inappropriate and made the Kennedys look bad," the writer explains. "We're digging deeper into who [Sofia] is and why she is the way she is, but at the same time acknowledging flaws in our institutions, for instance, and the power that some men hold over young women. Who has a voice and who doesn't? Whose voice is silenced?"
We've seen all 8 episodes of The Penguin and while this instalment is a standout, trust us when we say there are still many great moments to come as Oz Cobb and Sofia Falcone go to war for control of Gotham City's underworld.
Four episodes of The Penguin are now streaming on Max.