‘The Penguin’ Showrunner Discusses the Depth of Female Characters in the Series: “Rarely are the women as interesting as the men”

Fans can look forward to ‘The Penguin’ series this year, a spinoff from Matt Reeves’ ‘The Batman’ movie series, which exists in a separate universe from Gunn and Safran’s DCU. The show is set to pick up one week after the events of the film, where Falcone’s death leaves a power vacuum that The Penguin, with Sofia Falcone’s help, is eager to fill.

Colin Farrell noted that the series will delve into the character’s complexities—his awkwardness, strength, villainy, and underlying heartbreak—building on his portrayal in the film. He also emphasized that the show will be extremely violent and dark.

Showrunner Lauren LeFranc recently spoke with Total Film, discussing the show’s intricate themes and the development of nuanced female characters within the crime genre.

Very few women have been able to write these kinds of movies or television shows.

I think my perspective on Oz, and masculinity in general, is different. And that made me also want to surround him with really interesting, complicated women [Cristin Milioti plays Carmine’s daughter Sofia, aka Hangman, making her own play for power when she’s released from Arkham Asylum]. In traditional crime dramas, rarely are the women as interesting as the men. So I took this as an opportunity to see what had been done before me, to respect and honor the genre, and then to also evolve it.

The upcoming series features a star-studded cast, including Colin Farrell as The Penguin/Oswald “Oz” Cobb, Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone, and Clancy Brown as Salvatore Maroni. Michael Zegen takes on the role of Alberto Falcone, Michael Kelly plays Johnny Vitti, and Rhenzy Feliz appears as Victor Aguilar. The cast also includes Shohreh Aghdashloo as Nadia Maroni and Deirdre O’Connell as Francis Cobb, with additional roles played by James Madio, Scott Cohen, Theo Rossi, Carmen Ejogo, François Chau, David H. Holmes, Craig Walker, and Jared Abrahamson, with some roles yet to be revealed.

‘The Penguin’ will premiere on Max on September 19, 2024, spanning eight episodes. Have thoughts? Share them in the comments below!