The Penguin HBO Max Series Adds Clancy Brown as Major Batman Character

March 3, 2023, 5:55pm

HBO Max’s The Penguin series has officially recast a major The Batman character. On Friday, a report from Variety confirmed that Clancy Brown will appear on the series in the recurring role of Salvatore Maroni. Brown will join a cast that includes Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot / The Penguin and Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone, as well as Rhenzy Feliz, Michael Kelly, Shohreh Aghdashloo, and Deirdre O’Connell. Brown is absolutely no stranger to the DC Universe, voicing Lex Luthor across multiple DC Animated Universe projects, and having voice roles in Batman Beyond, The Zeta Project, Teen Titans, The Batman, and Young Justice. He also portrayed General Wayne Eiling in the first season of The CW’s The Flash. He is also known for voicing Mr. Krabs in SpongeBob SquarePants, and roles in The Shawshank Redemption and Thor: Ragnarok.

Videos by ComicBook.com

Maroni was previously alluded to throughout 2022’s The Batman, as a drug kingpin tied to the pushing of the street drug “Drops” throughout Gotham City. His arrest, which was seen as the largest drug bust in GCPD history, dovetailed into a larger conspiracy involving Carmine Falcone (John Turturro) and the corruption within the local government. Footage of his arrest did briefly appear onscreen during The Batman, but he was portrayed by an uncredited extra. Brown will be the latest character to play Maroni in live action, after Dennis Paladino in Batman Forever, Eric Roberts in The Dark Knight, and David Zayas in Gotham.

What is The Penguin about?

While plot details surrounding The Penguin are currently under wraps, it is expected to take place in the aftermath of the events of The Batman.

“We are thrilled to bring audiences a new version of this iconic DC character that they have never seen before,” Sarah Aubrey, Head of Original Content, HBO Max, said in a statement when the show was announced. “It is incredible to be working with Matt, Dylan and Lauren on continuing this story and to see Colin take his already exceptional performance in ‘The Batman’ to the next level.”

“Colin exploded off the screen as the Penguin in ‘The Batman,’ and having the chance to thoroughly explore the inner life of that character on HBO Max is an absolute thrill,” The Batman director Matt Reeves echoed. “Dylan and I are so excited to work with Lauren in continuing Oz’s story as he grabs violently for power in Gotham.”

“I have long been a fan of the world of ‘The Batman,’ and Matt’s film is such a powerful and bold entry into the canon. I am excited and humbled to continue telling stories in the grimy world of Gotham City – and what better excuse to channel my inner villain than to tell the story of Oswald Cobblepot? I am thrilled to work with Colin, Matt, Dylan, 6th & Idaho, Warners, and HBO Max as we work to bring this story to the screen,” said showrunner Lauren LeFranc.