“The Penguin” series on HBO Max has added Michael Zeg, James Madio and Scott Cohen to the 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 Blessing will be playing 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 is given credit for being the serial killer known as The Holiday Killer, who targets Gotham mobsters on vacation every month.
Zegen is best known for his role in the popular Amazon series ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’, which is currently being prepared for its fifth and final season. His other notable roles include playing mobster Bugsy Siegel in HBO’s ‘Boardwalk Empire’, as well as roles in shows like ‘Rescue Me’, ‘The Walking Dead’, ‘Girls’ and ‘Happy-ish’. His film roles include ‘Frances Ha’, ‘Brooklyn’, ‘Adventureland’, ‘Taking Woodstock’ and ‘The Stand-In’.
He is represented by UTA, Authentic Talent & Literary Management, Underground Management and Ginsberg Daniels Kallis LLP.
Madio recently appeared on the Paramount+ series ‘The Offer’. He is perhaps best known for his role in the HBO series ‘Band of Brothers’, playing Frank Perconte, as well as his role in ‘USA High’. He is represented 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 his film credits include “Killing Jessica Stein” and “The Week Of.” He is represented by Innovative Artists, Circle of Confusion and Jackoway Austen Tyerman.
“The Penguin” will consist of eight episodes. The series would continue the story of the film. It is believed to take place in the immediate aftermath of the events of ‘The Batman’.
Lauren LeFranc is the writer, executive producer and showrunner of ‘The Penguin’. “The Batman” director Matt Reeves produces through 6th & Idaho, while Dylan Clark executive produces through Dylan Clark Productions. Farrell executive produces in addition to starring. Craig Zobel is executive producer and director of the first three episodes. Daniel Pipski of 6th & Idaho also serves as executive producer, as does Bill Carraro, with Rafi Crohn serving as co-executive producer. Warner Bros. Television is the studio. 6th & Idaho currently has an overall deal with WBTV. The series is based on characters created for DC by Bob Kane and Bill Finger.