Kalina Ivanov Gotham Interview: Penguin Production Design
- The HBO limited series The Penguin, starring Colin Farrell as Oswald "Oz" Cobb, owes a creative debt to the 1971 film The French Connection.
- One of Ivanov's favorite sets from The Penguin is Monroe's jazz club.
- Ivanov also spoke about a chandelier she had built for the set.
‘The Penguin’s’ Gotham: Production Designer Reveals Crime Film Inspiration
Updated May 29, 2025
The HBO limited series The Penguin, starring Colin Farrell as Oswald “Oz” Cobb, owes a creative debt to the 1971 film The French Connection. Production designer Kalina Ivanov said Matt Reeves, director of The Batman and executive producer for The Penguin, cited William Friedkin’s neo-noir crime thriller as the inspiration for Gotham City’s visual landscape.Ivanov embraced this vision while filming in New York City, aiming to create a modern take on The French Connection as she crafted the sets for The Penguin, which details the character’s ascent in Gotham’s criminal hierarchy after the events of The Batman.
One of Ivanov’s favorite sets from The Penguin is Monroe’s jazz club. Budget limitations required her to improvise. Ivanov said the location had murals that did not fit the show’s aesthetic. To solve this, she concealed the murals with columns, intricate booths, and a blue curtain. The designer also had custom paintings made to place in front of the curtain.
Ivanov also spoke about a chandelier she had built for the set. “We put it up from the beginning, and then we dropped it and the scene is so good with the dropped chandelier,” Ivanov said.
What’s next
All episodes of The Penguin are available on Max. Ivanov said an Emmy nomination for her work on the limited series “would mean the world to me.”