The Illuminerdi recently had the chance to sit down and speak with The Batman production designer James Chinlund (The Avengers, War for the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes).
The upcoming film is about to hit 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD on May 24., and Chinlund spoke about designing one of the film’s most iconic locations, the Iceberg Lounge.
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In The Batman film, Gotham City is just as much a character as the Dark Knight detective and his criminal adversary, The Riddler. The comic book movie featured one of the most unique, elaborate versions of Gotham City ever filmed, and the Iceberg Lounge was one of the many iconic locations showcased in the film.
THE BATMAN PRODUCTION DESIGNER ON SOLVING THE PUZZLE THAT WAS THE ICEBERG LOUNGE
First appearing in the pages of Detective Comics Vol. 1 #683, the Iceberg Lounge is the appropriately named base of operations of Batman villain, The Penguin. Since the nightclub, casino, and den of criminality first appeared in the comics, versions of the Iceberg Lounge have appeared in Batman: Arkham City, television’s Gotham and Batwoman, and it finally made its big-screen, cinematic debut in The Batman.
In The Batman, the Iceberg Lounge served two purposes. First, it was an actual legitimate business front and nightclub, part of Gotham City’s nightlife scene. Secondly, its upper floors served as a place where Gotham’s corrupt elite would gather for less than savory activities. Oswald Cobblepot (Colin Farrell), aka The Penguin, owns and runs the Iceberg Lounge, which is also home to his mobster boss, Carmine Falcone. Falcone also happens to have his own penthouse apartment within the structure.
While speaking to The Illuminerdi, James Chinlund offered some insight on what inspired the visual look for the film’s version of the iconic locale:
“The iceberg lounge is one of the biggest puzzles in the film. We had Falcone’s upstairs. We had the club, we had the club under the club. We had Riddler across the street. So it’s the center of the design of the film. And I knew we wanted to be near the sea wall because that was something that we really needed to explain to the audience without seeing it, so that led us to thinking about a bridge. And I’d been to a party on the Brooklyn Bridge as a younger person and it just seemed like a great place to start building. And so we sort of unpacked it from there”
James Chinlund, Interview with The Illuminerdi
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Currently, director Matt Reeves is hard at work on developing a sequel to The Batman. It was announced last April at CinemaCon 2022 that Reeves will once again step behind the camera to help the planned sequel, with star Robert Pattinson once again donning the legendary cape and cowl of the Caped Crusader. So, it’s possible that Chinlund may get the chance to revisit the Iceberg Lounge or bring other iconic locations of Gotham City and Batman comics to life onscreen.
DC’s The Batman is streaming now on HBO Max. The film is slated to hit 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on May 24.
But what do you think about the film’s take on the iconic Iceberg Lounge? Are there any iconic locations in Gotham City you’d like to see represented in the recently announced sequel for The Batman? Are looking forward to checking out The Batman again on streaming or home video formats? Let us know what you think on Twitter.
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