HBO Max’s The Penguin series has cast Clancy Brown in a recurring role as Salvatore Maroni, a notorious Gotham City crime boss. The character was referenced repeatedly in The Batman, as his arrest by corrupt Gotham officials and the collapse of his criminal empire allowed for Carmine Falcone’s organization to rise.
Maroni has previously been portrayed onscreen by actors like David Zayas in Gotham at Fox and by Eric Roberts in The Dark Knight.
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’Connell.
This is not Brown’s first foray into 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 the hit Nickelodeon cartoon Spongebob Squarepants.
In the live-action world, Brown has recently appeared in shows like Dexter: New Blood and the film Promising Young Woman. He is also known for his roles in films like The Shawshank Redemption and Highlander, and John Wick: Chapter 4.
The Penguin will consist of eight episodes. The series is said to continue the story of the film. It is believed to take place in the immediate aftermath of the events of “The Batman.” Milioti will star as Sofia Falcone, the daughter of Carmine Falcone.
Lauren LeFranc is the writer, executive producer, and showrunner on The Penguin. The Batman director Matt Reeves executive produces via 6th & Idaho, while Dylan Clark executive produces via Dylan Clark Productions. Farrell executive produces in addition to starring. Craig Zobel is executive producing and directing the first three episodes. 6th & Idaho’s Daniel Pipski also serves as executive producer, as does Bill Carraro, with Rafi Crohn co-executive producing. 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.
