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The Penguin’s Lauren LeFranc Talks About Evolving the Crime Genre with Intricate Female Roles
The Penguin showrunner Lauren LeFranc revealed that the upcoming DC series from Batman Epic Crime Saga will have space for strong women characters while Colin Farrell teased violence in the show.
The Penguin has generated an astounding buzz among fans. The upcoming The Batman spin-off is set to hit HBO and Max in September but the anticipation of the series is sky-high, primarily because of the immense popularity of Matt Reeves’ The Batman and Colin Farrell’s stand-out performance as Penguin. But beyond that, series showrunner Lauren LeFranc designed the upcoming DC Elseworlds project as a platform to create complex characters.
The Penguine created space for strong women characters
The Penguine showrunner Lauren LeFranc had her immaculate vision set for the show as she revealed details of the evolution process of the crime thriller. LeFranc recently appeared for a chat with Total Film for their latest issue to share that she planned to use The Penguin as a platform to "honor and evolve" the crime genre.
The upcoming series, as per the showrunner, was also designed to create space for the strong and complex female characters to have their voice in the narrative. "I think my perspective on Oz, and masculinity in general, is different,” LeFranc told Total Film adding that her perspective on the character propelled her to introduce and “surround him with really interesting, complicated women.”
LeFranc further promised that the forthcoming series will be very different from traditional crime dramas where women rarely get their space to explore and evolve their characters. “In traditional crime dramas, rarely are the women as interesting as the men,” the showrunner said. So, she took this show as “an opportunity to see what had been done before me, to respect and honor the genre, and then to also evolve it."
Cristin Milioti’s character in the series would perfectly complement LeFranc's statement. Milioti plays Carmine’s daughter Sofia, who also goes by the alias of Hangman who plays her own game in the thirst for power following her release from Gotham’s Arkham Asylum. But it is just the beginning, there will be plenty of strong female characters in the show adding twists to the narrative throughout its progression.
The Penguin has been described as an "epic crime saga" that will primarily follow Colin Farrell’s Oswald Cobblepot aka Penguin. Farrell’s Penguin first appeared in Reeves’ The Batman starring Robert Pattinson which was a major hit for DC. Now that Farrell is getting his standalone show for his character, a detailed picture of Oz Cobb’s crime emprise would be the centrifugal part of the larger narrative as he will face several forces during his reign as a crime lord.
The show continues the events of the 2022 movie. Riddler killed Carmine Falcone and played John Turturro in The Batman. Following the death of Kingpin, the organized crime scene in Gotham City has changed as Oz is set to go toe to toe with Carmine’s bloodline Sofia Falcone.
The Penguin will be incredibly violent
The Penguin seemingly has a license from Warner Brothers to go violent as per the demand of the narrative. While The Batman was not an R-rated flick from DC, Ferrel previously said that The Penguin would go beyond the PG-13esque nature. The series will be “incredibly violent,” he told MovieZine giving fans the ultra-violent narrative from the Batman Epic Crime Saga.
“It was a long and really wonderful experience,” the 48-year-old said during his chat with MovieZine. He further assured that the series will be very “dark; that’s what I can tell you about it. It’s really dark. It’s really heavy.”
But filming the scenes with the narrative demand of violence to enhance the essence of the Gotham City crime world was an absolute delight for the actor. “Which is not to say I didn’t have fun, I had an amazing time doing it.” He further stressed that the show is “incredibly violent,” adding that the show is “one man’s rise to what he’s always dreamed of inhabiting, which is a certain power or social status.”
Additionally, The Banshees of Inisherin star said that Carmine Falcone’s death in The Batman “leaves this vacuum in Gotham to be filled” and there are various people who are in a race to grab that power to control the city. “This is Oswald’s journey trying to rise to the top through extraordinary obstacles,” he added.
Robert Pattinson is rumored to have a cameo as Batman in the upcoming series and has garnered immaculate attention from fans. The show also stars Rhenzy Feliz as Victor Aguilar, alongside recurring stars including 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.
The Penguin is set for 8 September 2024 release.
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