Batman fans praise surprise recasting we were all hoping for

The release of The Penguin is almost upon us.

It’s a hard fact to miss given that the internet has been squabbling over whether it’s okay to rename Oswald Copplebot as Oz Cobb.

The answer is clearly yes, and anyone who feels unsettled by that fact needs to calm down in my book.

That aside, the show has largely been well received by reviewers.

It’s acquired a respectable score of 89% over on Rotten Tomatoes.

GamesRadar wrote that the show “features one of the best performances in Batman’s on-screen history,” while Empire added that it’s a spin-off that feels “both necessary and earned”.

I’m excited to see Colin Farrell’s performance which is garnering so much praise, but we’re here today to talk about a different actor.

If you’ve seen Matt Reeves’ The Batman, then you’ll be watching a different Carmine Falcone this time around.

Take a look at the trailer for The Penguin below.

In The Batman, the character was played by John Turturro but in The Penguin, it’s Mark Strong who assumes the role.

Why? Well, The Riddler saw off Falcone in The Batman, sniping him amidst the character’s arrest.

With that in mind, clearly, Falcone is going to appear in a flashback capacity in this series, but fans thought that might see the series de-age original actor John Turturro.

Thankfully, that’s not the case.

Don’t get me wrong, Turturro is fantastic. De-aging, however, is not.

Mark Strong is a fantastic actor so I’m sure he’ll prove to be a real asset to the series.

Fans seem to be happy with the decision.

“Fantastic actor. Good addition,” wrote one user, while another added, “A major upgrade.”

It wasn’t simply age that came into play. Turturro was also reportedly busy filming another project when The Penguin went into production.

The Penguin is set to premiere on 19 September on HBO Max in the USA, while UK viewers can catch it on 20 September on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV.