The Penguin HBO series expands its cast, as James Gunn weighs in on Batman cameo rumor

Upcoming HBO max series The Penguin has added some new cast members to it’s line-up. The show, which acts as a spin-off to The Batman, will feature Michael Zegen, James Madio, and Scott Cohen in recurring roles.

Per Variety, it’s not yet clear which characters they will be playing but Zegen has been linked to the role of Alberto Falcone. He’s the son of Gotham crime boss Carmine Falcone (John Tuturro in The Batman) and is the brother of Sofia Falcone, who will be played by Cristin Milioti in the show.

The series is expected to pick up after the events of The Batman and focus on Colin Farrell’s Oswald Cobblepot, or The Penguin as he’s also known. Other confirmed cast members for the HBO series include Clancy Brown, Michael Kelly, Rhenzy Feliz, Shohreh Aghdashloo, and Deirdre O’Connell.

Alongside the new announcement, DC Studios head James Gunn also recently debunked a rumor on Twitter about whether Robert Pattinson’s Batman could guest star in the new show. He responded to a fan sharing a report saying that Pattinson could only appear as Bruce Wayne in the spin-off, rather than as the Caped Crusader due to a rights issue. The CBR.com report mentioned that TV rights were locked up in limbo.

Gunn replied to the tweet stating: "This is not true". Then in a follow-up tweet, he clarified he meant: "The rights issue is not true", rather than addressing anything to do with Pattinson’s potential involvement in the spin-off. Filming is currently taking place on The Penguin but no release date has been confirmed.

I’m the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for the Total Film and SFX sections online. I previously worked as a Senior Showbiz Reporter and SEO TV reporter at Express Online for three years. I've also written for The Resident magazines and Amateur Photographer, before specializing in entertainment.