Following The Batman‘s release March 2022, not only is there a sequel lined up for late 2026, what we now know as the Batman Epic Crima Saga has expanded to the small screen. The first of these $ tie-in TV shows is centered on The Penguin$ , who’s been the Caped Crusader adversary in the comics for more than 80 years. Although Robin Lord Taylor had played Oswald Cobblepot as an integral character in Fox’s Gotham, this show, which airs to HBO viewers and those with a Max subscription$, puts Colin Farrell’s version of the character front and center after his time as a side antagonist.
$ Among the things we know about The Penguin$ is it $ takes place mere days after the end of The Batman$ and follows Cobblepot’s rise to power in Gotham City’s criminal underworld now that his boss, Carmine Falcone, is dead. Needless to say that such a journey is fraught with perils and people looking to take him off the proverbial board, and that was evident in $ the first trailer for the Max series and the previews that followed. Keeping that in mind, let’s go over all the actors who’ve been announced or reported to be in the miniseries’ cast.
Colin Farrell
If you went into The Batman knowing nothing about it ahead of time, you likely wouldn’t have recognized Colin Farrell as Oswald “Oz” Cobb (that’s right, he doesn’t have the last name Cobblepot in this universe), with this being the character’s first cinematic depiction since Danny DeVito played him in Batman Returns.
While there was initially speculation that The Penguin could be a prequel to The Batman, and thus allow for a younger actor to play the character, Farrell will indeed be returning to the makeup and fatsuit (including a “Penguin pecker”) to explore Oz trying to seize as much power for himself following Carmine Falcone being shot by The Riddler. It’s unclear if Oz, who hates his Penguin nickname, will cross paths with Batman again in the series, although DC Studios co-head James Gunn has debunked the claim that Robert Pattinson could only appear as Bruce Wayne, assuming he shows up at all.
Cristin Milioti
If you’ve read Batman: The Long Halloween and Batman: Dark Victory, then you’re familiar with Sofia Falcone, Carmine Falcone’s daughter, who returns to Gotham City to help her father figure out the identity of the Holiday killer targeting members of the crime family. The Penguin will also see Cristin Milioti’s Sofia returning home after years spent locked away in Arkham following her reign of terror as the serial killer The Hangman (just like in Dark Victory), but with Carmine dead, she’ll instead battle Oswald Cobblepot for control of the criminal underworld. Milioti’s notable roles include Tracy McConnell in How I Met Your Mother, Sarah Wilder in Palm Springs and Hazel Green in Made for Love.
Michael Zegen
Sofia Falcone isn’t the only one of Carmine Falcone’s children appearing in The Penguin. Michael Zegen – of Boardwalk Empire and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel fame – has been cast as her younger brother Alberto. In The Long Halloween, Alberto took credit for the Holiday killings, although it’s later clarified that there were at least two of those serial killers, and that Alberto may have been lying about his role in those events. It’s unclear if Zegen’s version will also wreak havoc on Gotham as Holiday or if he’ll simply be by his sister’s side while she wars with Oz.
Clancy Brown
Although Sal Maroni never appeared in The Batman, it was mentioned that he was arrested in the GCPD’s largest drug bust, though it was later revealed that he was set up by Carmine Falcone and corrupt individuals in Gotham’s government and police force. Maroni is still behind bars in The Penguin, but evidently he’ll be an important player in the miniseries nonetheless. Clancy Brown has been cast as Maroni$, and this is a man who goes way back with DC as the voice of Lex Luthor in the DC Animated Universe and having played General Wade Eiling on The Flash, among many other credits.
Michael Kelly
House of Cards fans will instantly recognize Michael Kelly for playing Doug Stamper, while others may know the actor more from projects like Unbreakable, Now You See Me, Person of Interest and Jack Ryan. Now he’s jumping into The Penguin, where, Kelly told The Wrap, he's playing Johnny Vitti, the underboss of the Falcone crime family. In The Long Halloween, Vitti was Carmine Falcone's nephew, but it's unclear if the two have a familial connection in The Batman universe. This is Kelly’s second time performing in a DC project, having previously played Steve Lombard in Man of Steel.
Rhenzy Feliz
The Penguin trailers have made it quite clear how Rhenzy Feliz fits into the picture. The actor, known from Marvel’s Runaways and Encanto, is playing a young man named Victor Aguilar who starts working for Oswald Cobblepot as his driver, though the gangster won’t hesitate to gut him “like a goddamn fish” if he gets out of line even once.
Shohreh Aghdashloo
From House of Sand and Fog and Renfield, to 24 and The Expanse, Shohreh Aghdashloo has been around the acting block, and now the time has come for her to lend her talents to DC. Aghdashloo is playing Nadia Maroni, who is presumably Sal Maroni’s wife and has taken over his criminal operations while he’s in jail.
Dierdre O’Connell
Dierdre O’Connell is no stranger to the world of crime TV shows, whether we’re talking about her various different roles on Law & Order (most notably Dr. Valerie Knight in Season 20) or popping up in three episodes of Daredevil Season 3. You may also know O’Connell from her recurring roles on The Affair, The Path and Outer Range, and for The Penguin, she’s playing Francis Cobb, Oz’s mentally unstable mother.
James Madio
Along with various film credits to his name, James Mario is arguably best known for his roles as Bobby Lazzarini in USA High and Frank Percent in Band of Brothers, while more recently he played Carmine in The Offer, the miniseries about the making of The Godfather that can be watched with a Paramount+ subscription. Now we’re seeing him in The Penguin playing Milos Grapa, an enforcer for the Falcone crime family who used to be Carmine’s bodyguard.
Scott Cohen
Gilmore Girls fans know Scott Cohen for playing Lorelai Gilmore's love interest Max Medina, but as far as his more recent work goes, you might have seen him in Billions, The Americans or The Fix, among many other projects. He’s playing Sofia and Alberto’s relative Luca Falcone in The Penguin.
Theo Rossi
Hernan “Shades” Alvarez, Theo Rossi’s character from Luke Cage, has something in common with Colin Farrell’s Oswald Cobblepot: they both sought to make bigger names for themselves in the criminal underworld after their bosses were killed. But if you didn’t catch Rossi in that Marvel series, maybe you’re more familiar with him as Juan Carlos “Juice” Ortiz in Sons of Anarchy. Either way, catch him in The Penguin playing a doctor named Julian Rush.
Carmen Ejogo
We get a brief glimpse of Carmen Ejogo’s character In The Penguin enjoying a drink with Oz, and it was later revealed that she’s playing Eve Karlo. The actress’ other genre credits include Alien: Covenant and the first two Fantastic Beasts movies. Fun fact, one of the Clayfaces from the comics is Basil Karlo, so I wonder if Eve is of any relation to him in The Batman universe.
Mark Strong
Mark Strong already has major DC experience under his belt from playing Sinestro in Green Lantern and Dr. Sivana in the Shazam! movies. Now he's getting to contribute to Batman lore through The Penguin, by taking over as Carmine Falcone, who was previously played by John Turturro in The Batman. With Carmine having been gunned down by The Riddler in that movie, Strong’s Carmine will appear in flashbacks during the miniseries. This is the second Max series Strong has lined up, as he's also playing Emperor Javicco Corrino in Dune: Prophecy.
François Chau
You might not know François Chau by name, but with the number of credits he’s accrued, it’s a good bet you’ve seen him in at least one thing, if not several. Filmwise, he played Shredder in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze and also popped up in Beverly Hills Ninja, Lethal Weapon 4 and Birds of Prey, while in TV, he’s appeared in Lost, K.C. Undercover, The Expanse, Last Man Standing, and, most recently, Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series, to name just a few shows. For now, his role in The Penguin remains a mystery.
David H. Holmes
Next we have David H. Holmes, who’s arguably best known for starring as Simon Miller in Hulu’s short-lived High Fidelity series. If you didn’t watch that, then maybe you caught his guest spots in shows like The Americans, Mr. Robot or Mindhunter. If not, then The Penguin will be as good as place as any to be introduced to him as a performer.
Jared Abrahamson
Finally, we have Jared Abrahamson, whom some of you might know from movies like Hello Destroyer and American Animals, while others might recognize from TV shows like Travelers and The Changeling. Either way, Deadline reports that he's been tapped for a "key recurring role" on The Penguin.
The Penguin premieres September 19 on Max. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more news on the series, and don’t forget that The Batman: Part II is slated on the upcoming DC movies schedule for October 2, 2026.
