HBO Max’s “The Penguin” series has added Michael Zegen, James Madio and Scott Cohen to its cast in recurring roles, Variety learned exclusively.
The three join 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, Deirdre O’Connell and Clancy Brown.
HBO Max isn’t releasing character details for three new additions, but sources say Zegen is set to play Alberto Falcone.
Alberto is the son of Gotham City crime boss Carmine Falcone, who was played by John Turturro in “The Batman,” and the brother of Sofia Falcone, who will be played by Milioti in “The Penguin.” In the comics, Alberto takes credit for being the serial killer known as The Holiday Killer, who targets Gotham’s mobsters on vacation every month.
Zegen is best known for his role in Amazon’s hit series “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” which is currently gearing up for its fifth and final season. His other notable roles include playing gangster Bugsy Siegel on HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire,” as well as roles in shows like “Rescue Me,” “The Walking Dead,” “Girls” and “Happy-ish.” Her film roles include “Frances Ha”, “Brooklyn”, “Adventureland”, “Taking Woodstock” and “The Stand-In”.
It is replaced by UTA, Authentic Talent & Literary Management, Underground Management and Ginsberg Daniels Kallis LLP.
Madio recently appeared in the Paramount + series “The Offer.” He is perhaps best known for his role in the HBO series “Band of Brothers”, in which he played Frank Perconte, as well as his role in “USA High”. He is replaced by HCKR Agency and Liebman Entertainment.
Cohen’s past credits include shows like “The Americans,” “Billions,” “The Gilmore Girls,” “The Equalizer,” and “Necessary Roughness,” while her movie credits include “Killing Jessica Stein” and “The Week. Of”. He is replaced by Innovative Artists, Circle of Confusion and Jackoway Austen Tyerman.
“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”.
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.