The Penguin, the HBO Max spin-off from The Batman, has added Theo Rossi to its cast, making him the 11th actor to be announced for the series. Although no details have been provided about his role, it has been confirmed that Rossi will play a “key recurring role” in the show. Other cast members include Colin Farrell as The Penguin, Cristin Miloti as Sofia Falcone, Clancy Brown as Salvatore Maroni, and Michael Zegen as Alberto Falcone. Michael Kelly, Shoreh Aghdashloo, Deirdre O’Connell, James Madio, Rhenzy Feliz, and Scott Cohen are also involved in the series, but their roles remain unknown.

Expanding The Batman Universe

With The Penguin being only the second project in this Elseworld, there are still many fan-favorite comic characters yet to be seen, particularly in the realm of Batman’s rogues’ gallery. It is possible that Rossi, along with the other actors with undisclosed roles, could bring any number of Batman and Batman-adjacent characters to the Robert Pattinson Batman universe.

The Long Halloween Connection

The Batman took inspiration from Batman: The Long Halloween, which focuses on the Falcone crime family, particularly Zegen’s Holiday Killer character. As the Holiday Killer’s M.O. is similar to that of Gotham rogue Calendar Man, Batman approaches the villain to learn more about how Alberto Falcone might operate. With The Penguin seemingly focusing on the Falcone family and established story cues from The Long Halloween, it is not far-fetched to assume that Rossi might play a character similar to Calendar Man.