“The people who’ve come before me, who’ve had the opportunity to tell a story about a gangster, they tended to be men,” said #ThePenguin creator Lauren LeFranc.
“Crime dramas, anything comic book-related, certainly with [predominantly] male characters, let alone someone who’s considered a villain, it’s hard to find a lot of women who’ve had that opportunity,” she tells The Times in our Envelope digital cover story.
HBO’s “The Penguin” has earned a staggering 24 nominations at the #Emmys. For her spinoff to 2022’s big-screen hit #TheBatman, LeFranc burrowing deeply into new histories of twisted, impassioned characters — and stars Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti and Deirdre O’Connell enthusiastically bought in.
Farrell said his previous thoughts about Oz’s backstory weren’t “a million miles away from what Lauren created, but what she created was unique enough for me to learn more about Oz as a man.”
Milioti said LeFranc’s “care and protectiveness” gave the actors freedom. “You’re able to go to those big places; it feels so real. It gives you carte blanche to go as deep as you want and get as detailed as you want.”
At the link in @latimes_entertainment ’s bio, read our full digital cover story on #TheBatman’s spinoff series.
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