When you think of Gotham – the fictional city Batman calls home – the real-life place that most immediately springs to mind is New York City.
With its striking skyline, Gotham has always been heavily modelled on The Big Apple, so it might surprise you to learn that the bulk of filming for Matt Reeves’ new film The Batman actually took place somewhere else: the UK.
Locations in London, Liverpool, and Glasgow – in addition to some second unit filming in Chicago – were all used to bring this new version of Gotham to life, alongside several impressive sets built at Leavesden and Cardington Studios.
James Chinlund, the production designer for the film, spoke exclusively to RadioTimes.com about the reasons behind choosing those locations – and admitted that he wasn’t always convinced about the decision to shoot in the UK.
“We knew it had to feel like an American city,” he explained. “So I think inherently we were slightly nervous about the idea of taking it out of America – and did extensive searches in various American cities looking for our locations.
“And I will say, the real turning point for me was Gotham Square. We knew we needed this large footprint where we were creating Gotham’s version of Times Square, and as I was Google searching, I came upon Wellington Square in Liverpool, and really started to comb in on that, started looking at pictures and realised what an incredible resource it was.
“I mean, you had all this beautiful ornament and incredible pieces of architecture with this heavy dark patina,” he added. “And then obviously, the weather of the North all combined to create this amazing atmosphere for us. As we started to explore around that area, we realised how many treasures there were for us, and that really unlocked the country for me – I realised what a mind-blowing resource the UK was in terms of moments that would help us build our world.”
!["Batman"]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2022/03/Batman-2-2f5f611.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Batman\"")
As the production team started looking for more UK-based locations, Chinlund said they were very soon “overwhelmed with opportunities” – finding incredible places in Manchester and Glasgow and quickly realising they wouldn’t even be able to shoot all the places they’d like to.
“I mean in the end, we shot a lot less than we loved,” he said. “But we used the cemetery in Glasgow (The Glasgow Necropolis), which overlooks the city – an incredible place. And the Liver Building in Liverpool is the top of the Gotham City Police Department and the sight of an amazing stunt that Batman performs.
“Then the exterior of St. George’s Hall in Liverpool played as Gotham City Hall and Gotham Bank. So yeah, it was a real treasure trove of locations for us in the North.”
Of course, while British conditions might not always be ideal, in this case, Chinlund said that the wintry weather suited the production down to the ground – even if it wasn’t always the most fun to stand around in all night.
“It certainly provided the atmosphere that we needed,” he said. “I mean, Gotham is a dank and cold place, and at times the UK is as well. So it really was our friend, and we appreciated it. And the long nights were very helpful!”
Alongside the location work, Chinlund and the team also made use of another British resource: Leavesden Studios in Hertfordshire. Here, several of the huge sets were built – including the Batcave and Wayne Tower – and Chinlund said it was a very positive experience.
“Just coming to the UK and getting to work with this incredible pool of craftsmen and years and years of tradition was so exciting for all of us,” he said. “We were so, so thrilled to be able to do that.
“And then we built massive sets and huge backlots and all sorts. I think part of the world-building exercise for us was taking these rich pieces of architecture that we could find in the UK and then bringing them back to the backlot and the Leavesden facility and trying to figure out how to puzzle those all together with sets and transitional builds.
“Getting to build the Batcave and Wayne Tower, for me as a Batman fan, was a dream come true,” he added. “Getting to use the incredible plaster teams in the UK, which is a tradition that really is going strong, and really push and use as much as we could.
“Then obviously, we built a huge backlot where we did bits of the chase and the exterior of the Iceberg Lounge and Catwoman’s apartment. So we really took full advantage of the facilities at Leavesden and the amazing teams there.”
The Batman is in UK cinemas from Friday 4th March 2022. While you’re waiting, check out more of our Film coverage, or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.
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