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HBO Max’s “The Batman” spin-off series “The Penguin” cast Clancy Brown in a recurring role, Variety has learned.
Brown joins a cast that includes series lead Colin Farrell, who will reprise the role of Oswald “The Penguin” Cobblepot from “The Batman,” as well as Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, Michael Kelly, Shohreh Aghdashloo and Deirdre O. ‘Connel.
Brown will appear as Salvatore Maroni, a notorious Gotham City crime boss. The character was referenced several times in “The Batman”, as his arrest by corrupt Gotham officials and the collapse of his criminal empire allowed Carmine Falcone’s organization to grow. Maroni has already been portrayed on screen by actors like David Zayas in Fox’s “Gotham” and by Eric Roberts in “The Dark Knight.”
Brown isn’t completely unknown to the DC Universe, as he has repeatedly voiced supervillain Lex Luthor in numerous animated projects and video games over the years. Brown is also well known for voicing Mr. Krabs in Nickelodeon’s hit cartoon “Spongebob Squarepants.” In the live-action world, Brown has recently appeared in shows like “Dexter: New Blood” and the movie “Promising Young Woman.” He is also known for his roles in movies like ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ and ‘Highlander’, while he will appear in the upcoming movie ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’.
It is replaced by CAA and Pop Art Management.
“The Penguin” will consist of eight episodes. The series is said to continue the story of the film. It is believed to take place immediately after the events of “The Batman”. Milioti will play Sofia Falcone, the daughter of Carmine Falcone.
Lauren LeFranc is the writer, executive producer, and showrunner of “The Penguin.” “The Batman” director Matt Reeves is producing through 6th & Idaho, while Dylan Clark director is producing through Dylan Clark Productions. Farrell executive produces in addition to playing. Craig Zobel is executive producer and director of the first three episodes. Daniel Pipski of 6th & Idaho is also an executive producer, as is Bill Carraro, with Rafi Crohn co-executive producer. Warner Bros Television is the studio. 6th & Idaho is currently under an overall deal at WBTV. The series is based on characters created for DC by Bob Kane and Bill Finger.