The Penguin spin-off casts John Wick star as Salvatore Maroni as filming begins

Colin Farrell as The Penguin in The Batman

(Image credit: Warner Bros./DC)

The Penguin has added another familiar character to its cast as Clancy Brown joins as Salvatore Maroni. Per Variety, the John Wick Chapter 4 actor will be appearing in a recurring role on the show, alongside the already announced lead, Colin Farrell, who's reprising his role as Oswald Cobblepot.

Maroni is a familiar character for fans of the Batman comics and those who listened closely to the 2022 movie The Batman, where it's mentioned that his arrest allows space for Carmine Falcone’s criminal organization to rise in his place. As the series acts as a prequel to the movie detailing how Cobblepot becomes The Penguin, we'll likely see the rise and fall of Maroni in Gotham.

Clancy Brown in Dexter: New Blood — (Image credit: Showtime)

Brown is best known for his roles in projects like Promising Young Woman, Dexter: New Blood, and The Shawshank Redemption, as well as his voice work as Lex Luthor and Mr. Krabs in Spongebob Squarepants. He's also set to star in the upcoming John Wick: Chapter 4. Maroni has previously been played in DC adaptations by Eric Roberts in The Dark Knight and David Zayas in Gotham.

Filming has also seemingly kicked off for the new series after production designer Kalina Ivankov shared a post to mark the occasion (H/T Comicbook.com). Alongside Farrell and Brown, other cast members include Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, Michael Kelly, Shohreh Aghdashloo, and Deirdre O’Connell.

Matt Reeves is also helming The Batman 2, which was recently given an official title and a release date as part of the DC Elseworlds movies, along with Joker 2. For more on the other upcoming DC movies and shows, check out our breakdown of the new DCU Chapter One: Gods and Monsters and how to watch the DC movies in order.

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.