The Penguin cast: All the stars in The Batman spin-off led by Colin Farrell

Of course, Colin Farrell reprises the now-leading role for the series and undergoes quite the physical transformation for the character. While the term 'unrecognisable' gets bandied around a lot when it comes to actors switching things up to play characters, it really isn't that much of a stretch when it comes to Farrell in this role.

We first saw Farrell in the role in the aforementioned film, which was a rather star-studded one – with main roles for Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz and many more – and although none of them reappear this time around, there are still some very recognisable names in the cast.

Speaking about why Pattinson won't be seen in this series, Farrell told IGN: "This story takes place over five or six weeks, so it seemed to make sense to the creatives, to Matt [Reeves] and to Lauren [LeFranc], that he didn't need to appear in this."

Read on for the full list of actors who appear alongside Farrell, and some more detailed information about who they're playing and where they might be familiar from.

The Penguin cast: All the characters and actors in The Batman spin-off

You can find out the full list of stars below – scroll down for some more information about the major players, including details on their characters and where you might have seen them before.

• Colin Farrell as Oz Cobb/Penguin
• Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone
• Rhenzy Feliz as Victor Aguilar
• Mark Strong as Carmine Falcone
• Michael Kelly as Johnny Vitti
• Shohreh Aghdashloo as Nadia Maroni
• Deirdre O'Connell as Francis Cobb
• Clancy Brown as Salvatore Maroni
• James Madio as Milos Grapa
• Scott Cohen as Luca Falcone
• Michael Zegen as Alberto Falcone
• Theo Rossi as Julian Rush
• Carmen Ejogo as Eve Karlo

One character we're not expecting to see is Robert Pattinson's Batman/Bruce Wayne.

Farrell recently told IGN: "This story takes place over five or six weeks, so it seemed to make sense to the creatives, to Matt [Reeves] and to Lauren [LeFranc], that he didn't need to appear in this.

"And it's a very different side of Gotham, as well. Not that Batman doesn't get his hands dirty in the shadows, of course, but it's a very, very different part of Gotham that I've never seen before. It's really the underbelly of the city and it's down in the gutter."

Elsewhere, fans might notice that Carmine Falcone looks a little different, with the character being recast. Mark Strong has taken over from John Turturro for the series.

Colin Farrell plays Oz Cobb/Penguin

Who is Oz Cobb/Penguin? A downtrodden underdog rising through the ranks in Gotham City's criminal underworld on his way to becoming a notorious, ruthless crime lord.

Previously chatting to RadioTimes.com about the role, he teased: "It’s dark, The Penguin. It’s so dark. I’m so glad to be done with it, and I loved it, but man I was ready not to sit in the makeup chair anymore when we finished.

"I loved doing the character in the film and this really did get to look, as they say in America, under the hood."

Farrell continued: "In the film, he’s all flash and pizazz and he’s a raconteur and he’s a proprietor at the club, and you get five or six scenes, and I loved it, but this really got to look under the hood and get into his backstory.

"It’s his rise to some version of power that he’s always dreamed of inhabiting, you know? Violent as anything, it’s so dark. I hope it’s good."

What else has Colin Farrell been in? Farrell has appeared in a huge number of major films over the years, including the recent The Banshees of Inisherin, for which he was nominated for an Oscar.

He has also starred in Minority Report, Daredevil, Alexander, In Bruges, Crazy Heart, Horrible Bosses, Fright Night, Total Recall, Saving Mr Banks, The Lobster, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Widows, The Gentlemen, After Yang and, of course, The Batman.

On the small screen, he's been in True Detective, Ballykissangel, The North Water and, most recently, Sugar.

Cristin Milioti plays Sofia Falcone

Who is Sofia Falcone? The daughter of crime lord Carmine Falcone, who challenges Oz's grip on Gotham City as she begins her own criminal empire.

She previously told TotalFilm of the character: "Sofia has a cauldron bubbling inside her at all times, and she’s in the most unsafe place she could possibly be. Hong low can she swallow this for, sit on this volcano, until it finally erupts?"

One episode in the series focuses on a flashback to Sofia's past. Speaking in a recent press conference about that episode, which focuses on Milioti's character, the actress said: "[I was] absolutely jazzed times like a hundred. Like you read it, and you start, like, salivating because I couldn’t believe that I was going to get a chance to do this."

What else has Cristin Milioti been in? Milioti is perhaps still best known for her vital – but relatively brief – role as Tracy McConnell (aka the mother) in How I Met Your Mother, while other notable credits have included The Wolf of Wall Street, Fargo, Palm Springs, Made for Love and The Resort.

Rhenzy Feliz plays Victor Aguilar

Who is Victor Aguilar? A teenager who becomes Oz's driver after befriending him.

Feliz recently said during a press conference: "One of the things I was most excited about when I was reading the scripts, I think what he [Vic Aguilar] sees in Oz, I think he looks up to Oz in a way. And I think he sort of finds something that he’s lost in Oz throughout. I

"think in the third episode you learn a little bit more about, a little bit of his history. And then I think he finds that, maybe he fills that hole in a way with Oz and with Francis [Cobb, played by Deirdre O'Connell]."

What else has Rhenzy Feliz been in? Feliz had a main role as Alex Wilder in Marvel's Runaways, recurring roles in Casual and Teen Wolf, and he voiced Camilo Madrigal in Encanto. Other credits include the films All Together Now and The Tender Bar and an episode of American Horror Stories.

Michael Kelly plays Johnny Vitti

Who is Johnny Vitti? The underboss of the Falcone crime family.

What else has Michael Kelly been in? Kelly is probably most recognisable for his role as Doug Stamper in House of Cards, but he's also been in a host of other TV shows including The Sopranos, Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior, Black Mirror and Jack Ryan. Film credits include The Adjustment Bureau, Man of Steel and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.

Deirdre O'Connell plays Francis Cobb

Who is Francis Cobb? Oz's mother.

O'Connell recently said during a press conference of her role: "This [role] was like a thing about power and being invisible and being disregarded and being humiliated. And I feel like one of the things that Francis is able to do with all of those feelings that she has deep inside her from being the bookkeeper for the mob and being a pretty woman in those days and being a single mother and all the resentment that she might have built up by just being, like, disregarded and nobody knows her name in that world.

"She’s pouring into Oz, but the other thing that she’s pouring in is don’t let it make you crazy. Don’t let it make you violent. Don’t let it make you overstep. Use it as a secret weapon. Go in and use it and be very savvy with it."

What else has Deirdre O'Connell been in? You might recognise O'Connell for her roles in The Path, The Affair and Outer Range.

Clancy Brown plays Salvatore Maroni

Who is Salvatore Maroni? A mob boss and drug trafficker whose previous operation came to an abrupt end after Carmine turned informant.

What else has Clancy Brown been in? He’s probably best known for playing the steely Captain Hadley in The Shawshank Redemption, as well as Sergeant Zim in the satirical science fiction adventure Starship Troopers.

He also appeared in films such as Thor: Ragnarok, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Promising Young Woman and John Wick 4, and in TV shows including Carnivàle, Billions, Emergence, Dexter: New Blood and Gen V.

Michael Zegen plays Alberto Falcone

Who is Alberto Falcone? Carmine Falcone's son.

What else has Michael Zegen been in? Zegen has had recurring roles in a number of major TV shows including Rescue Me, Boardwalk Empire and The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, and has appeared in films including Frances Ha and Brooklyn.

Mark Strong plays Carmine Falcone

Who is Carmine Falcone? The head of the Falcone crime family – who was previously played by John Turturro in The Batman.

Strong took on the role after Turturro had scheduling conflicts, showrunner and executive producer Lauren LeFranc has said.

She told IGN: "Well, practically, John was just unavailable to us. He had scheduling conflicts, and we couldn't make it work, but honestly, I'm so thrilled that we brought Mark Strong on. I think he's really good.

"Even though, maybe in the beginning when you first meet him, you might think, 'Oh, well, for fans of The Batman, obviously I'm so used to John Turturro,' but I feel like the gravitas that Mark brings, it's different.

"It's very specific, and I hope, by the end of that episode, you're just thinking, 'That's Carmine Falcone,' and you're engaged in what Mark brings to it."

What else has Mark Strong been in? Strong has a huge wealth of film credits to his name, with highlights including Stardust, Kick-Ass, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, the Kingsman films, Zero Dark Thirty, Shazam! and Tár.

He's recently been seen in Murder Mystery 2, Atlas, The End We Start From and The Critic, and he will have a major role in the upcoming Dune: Prophecy.

The Penguin will air on Sky Atlantic and NOW from Friday 20th September 2024 - find out more about how to sign up for Sky TV.

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