Comic book movies are famously littered with Easter eggs referencing the original comics, the artists behind them, and past movie adaptations. Kalina Ivanov, the production designer on The Penguin, has revealed the secrets behind the show’s production, including how the team hid dozens of Easter eggs in plain sight. Oswald Cobblepot, a.k.a. The Penguin, made his DC Comics debut way back in 1941. Since then, the character has appeared in various live-action TV shows, and in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns, opposite Michael Keaton’s Batman. With the character’s rich history, Ivanov and the team had decades worth of material to pull from when hiding secret details.
In an exclusive interview with MovieWeb, Kalina Ivanov revealed the process behind layering Easter eggs in The Penguin‘s sets. While Ivanov sprinkled a few of her own ideas into the sets, she declared that it requires the entire team to make Gotham city rich with Easter eggs and hidden details. “Thank you for mentioning that, because, honestly, I need a village to do what I do,” Kalina Ivanov said. The production designer revealed that various members of the crew would approach her with ideas, they would then be pitched to showrunner Lauren LeFranc before being added to the sets. Ivanov explained:
“So our graphic artists, Steve Brown and Katia Austin, they’re husband and wife. Steve is so much into these [comics], and he would just pitch these wild ideas, and we would pitch them to Lauren. And nine and a half times out of 10, they would fly, and we would do them, but he was really into it.”
The Penguin Episode 1 References the First Live-Action Penguin
The Penguin overwhelms audiences with Easter Eggs from its very first episode. Unlike the Falcones, who live in the extravagant mansion in Gotham Heights, Cobb lives in Crown Point, in its diamond district. The episode shows off Cobb’s flamboyant apartment, built on top of an old diamond shop. Eagle-eyed fans will note the name of the store, “Burgess Diamonds.” This is a reference to Burgess Meredith, who played the first ever live-action version of The Penguin in the 1966 Batman TV series, alongside Adam West’s Caped Crusader.
During our discussion, Kalina Ivanov touched upon the Easter egg, and revealed that “Burgess Diamonds” was her favorite one to work into the show.
“My favorite thing is that when we did the sign for the for the Diamond District, it was, it’s called Burgess Diamonds. We went through quite a few versions of what the business was. And, of course, Burgess Meredith, [who] played the original Penguin. And that’s very, very close to my heart, because he’s such a great actor, and he’s such a memorable portrayal of The Penguin.”
Audiences will also notice Cobb’s tacky taste for decor within his apartment. As well as a remote controlled fireplace, Cobb’s apartment has a very small poker table. This is also a reference to various DC Comics, as depictions of the Iceberg Lounge usually feature some form of poker table. For Kalina Ivanov, the reference went deeper, and depicted Oz Cobb’s desire to be like Carmine Falcone. She explained:
“He wants to be Carmine, and he sees all these pool and poker tables, and he ends up buying some cheap, you know, poker table. So, you know. He sees himself like, ‘Hey, I’ve arrived. I have a poker table.'”
New episodes of
The Penguin
will be released weekly on Max and HBO.