‘The Penguin’ Director Reveals Plans for Gotham’s Evolution and Crafting the Story Post-‘The Batman’

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As a seasoned gamer and avid fan of Batman lore, I can confidently say that the evolution of The Penguin series has been nothing short of breathtaking. With Colin Farrell perfectly embodying Oswald Cobblepot, the show has captured the hearts of fans worldwide, myself included.

When Colin Farrell was chosen to portray Oswald Cobblepot, more famously known as “The Penguin”, in Matt Reeves’ film “The Batman”, some fans were uncertain due to the unknown interpretation. However, Farrell’s exceptional performance has garnered praise, causing HBO to greenlight a standalone series centered around The Penguin with Farrell reprising his role. The show has been highly successful and is generating plenty of buzz, hence our coverage of it as well.

Delving into the intricacies of the series’ backstory and providing additional insights about the program, we stumbled upon an engaging interview with the director of “The Penguin,” Craig Zobel. Conducted by ScreenRant, this interview offers intriguing responses to a variety of questions regarding the show’s development. In this article, we will share the key points from his answers.

During an interview prior to the series debut, Zobel shared intriguing tidbits about the show. One question pertained to their strategies for developing Gotham not just as a location, but also as a character, considering the conclusion of The Batman. Here is his response:

Screen Rant Inquiry: Since Gotham plays such a pivotal role as a character in The Penguin, I was wondering if, during the process of developing your unique interpretation of Gotham, you drew inspiration from previous screen adaptations of the city?

Craig Zobel: Indeed, that’s an intriguing query. In the film “The Batman,” we initially considered what Gotham represents. Since the movie primarily showcases Gotham at night and often from above in rather gothic settings, we pondered over the narrative we were crafting. Instead of focusing on a mob boss, it was more about an average guy or a street-level character, not too distant from that perspective. So, what would the city appear like through his eyes?

Wondering how Gotham appears during daytime? The movie didn’t show much, only one scene where it was heavily raining. So, you might wonder what a city looks like when it’s pouring down rain. And as you may know, New York City has often been the primary reference for depicting Gotham in movies.

Originally, our focus was on filming at locations with overhead trains. Essentially, it was as if I said, “Let’s go to every place that has overhead trains, and let’s try to create the series there.” This idea served as our primary motivation from the start.

In simpler terms, the question is asking about how you ensured that the city and its inhabitants seemed like they were naturally born out of the unfortunate events following Gotham’s flooding. Is there one approach you took to create such an atmosphere in your work?

As a gamer, I’d put it like this: “In this game, the exploration of class differences is one of the key elements that sets it apart. Unlike other games where you might be Bruce Wayne, here we get to delve into the harsh realities and nuances of social class in an engaging way.

After beginning our project, Kalina Ivanov, the production designer, and I delved into research about post-Hurricane Katrina. We examined photo books, read articles, watched videos, and tried to imagine the chaos that unfolded during that time. It was particularly intriguing to observe how rapidly civilization seemed to disintegrate in the aftermath of the disaster. This experience served as a starting point for us as we pondered over what our interpretation of Gotham City during such a scenario might look like. Undeniably, it was a chilling and astonishing reflection on the real-life events that transpired.

Source: ScreenRant

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2024-09-30 18:44