Editing Gotham City (section)

===Films===
====1989 Batman series====
{{main|Batman (1989 film series)}}
[[File:Gotham skyline.JPG|right|thumb|Gotham City's [[skyline]] in the 1989 ''[[Batman (1989 film)|Batman]]'' film]]
''[[Batman (1989 film)|Batman]]'' (1989) director [[Tim Burton]] wanted a timeless alternative to New York and described it as "hell burst through the pavement and grew".<ref name=DenOfGeek/> The look of Gotham was overseen by production designer [[Anton Furst]], who won an Oscar for supervising the art department.<ref name=EntertainmentWeekly>{{cite magazine |last=Daly |first=Steve |url=https://ew.com/article/1992/06/19/designing-set-batman-returns/ |title=Sets Appeal: Designing 'Batman Returns' |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=June 19, 1992 |access-date=December 25, 2010 |archive-date=October 10, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081010170405/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,310819,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Furst stated ''Batman'' was "definitely based in many ways on the worst aspects of New York City" and was inspired by [[Andreas Feininger]]'s photographs of 1940s New York. Furst's draftsman [[Nigel Phelps]] created numerous [[Charcoal (art)|charcoal drawings]] of the buildings and interior sets for the production.<ref name=BuildMoviescapes>{{Cite book|last=Hanson|first=Matt|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f48nl_3Up8gC&q=furst+%22the+worst+aspects+of+New+York%22&pg=PA37|title=Building Sci-fi Moviescapes: The Science Behind the Fiction|date=2005|publisher=Gulf Professional|isbn=978-0-240-80772-0|language=en}}</ref>

Following the death of Furst, Burton tapped [[Bo Welch]] to oversee production design for ''[[Batman Returns]]'' (1992). Burton wanted Welch to re-imagine Gotham, stating "''Batman'' didn't feel big to me – it didn't have the power an old American city has".<ref name=Ranker>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ranker.com/list/what-city-inspired-gotham/eric-vega|title=The Many Inspirations For Every Onscreen Portrayal Of Gotham City|last=Luis|first=Eric|date=2019-10-30|website=Ranker|language=en|access-date=2020-03-27|archive-date=March 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200327231402/https://www.ranker.com/list/what-city-inspired-gotham/eric-vega|url-status=live}}</ref> Welch wanted to expand on the same basic concept for the sequel but moved away from European influences to show more American [[Art Deco]]/[[World's Fair]] elements.<ref name=EntertainmentWeekly/><ref>{{cite magazine|last=McCarthy|first=Todd|url=https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117901465.html?categoryid=31&cs=1|title=Review: 'Batman Returns'|quote=Lensed seemingly entirely indoors or on covered sets, pic is a magnificently atmospheric elaboration on German expressionism. Its look has been freshly imagined by production designer Bo Welch, based on the Oscar-winning concepts of the late Anton Furst in the first installment. Welch's Gotham City looms ominously over all individuals, and every set-from Penguin's aquarium-like lair and Shreck's lavish offices to Bruce Wayne's vaguely 'Citizen Kane'-like mansion and simple back alleys-is brilliantly executed to maximum evocative effect|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=June 14, 1992|access-date=December 25, 2010|archive-date=April 27, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100427011546/http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117901465.html?categoryid=31&cs=1|url-status=live}}</ref> When asked what inspired his interpretation of Gotham, Welch stated "[H]ow can I create a visual expression of corruption and greed? That got me thinking about the fascistic architecture employed at world's fairs&nbsp;... That feels corrupt because it's evocative of oppressive bureaucracies and dictatorships&nbsp;... So I looked at a lot of [Third Reich] art and images from world's fairs".<ref name=Ranker/> To physically make the city seem darker, he designed tall "oppressively overbuilt" cityscape that physically blocked out light.<ref name=Variety>{{cite web |last=Daly |first=Steve |url=https://ew.com/article/1992/06/19/designing-set-batman-returns/ |title=Sets Appeal: Designing 'Batman Returns' |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=June 19, 1992 |access-date=December 25, 2010 |archive-date=October 10, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081010170405/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,310819,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=Ranker/>

When [[Joel Schumacher]] took over directing the [[Tim Burton / Joel Schumacher Batman film series|''Batman'' film series]] from Tim Burton, Barbara Ling handled the production design for both of Schumacher's films, ''[[Batman Forever]]'' (1995)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/video/once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-production-designer-barbara-ling-quentin-tarantino-production-value-news/|title=How 'Once Upon A Time In Hollywood' Production Designer Barbara Ling Brought Quentin Tarantino's Favorite Restaurants Back Into The '60s — Production Value Video Series|last=Grobar |first=Matt|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|language=en-US|url-status=live|date=November 7, 2019|access-date=February 10, 2020|archive-date=January 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110021035/https://deadline.com/video/once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-production-designer-barbara-ling-quentin-tarantino-production-value-news/}}</ref> and 1997's ''[[Batman & Robin (film)|Batman & Robin]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/b/batmanandrobin.html |title=Film locations for ''Batman & Robin'' |website=The Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations |access-date=December 25, 2010 |archive-date=November 29, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101129120053/http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/b/batmanandrobin.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.shoestring.org/mmi_revs/batman-robin.html |title=Barbara Ling's no-holds-barred production design makes Gotham look more surreal than ever |publisher=Shoestring Radio Theater |access-date=December 25, 2010 |archive-date=September 3, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100903065038/http://www.shoestring.org/mmi_revs/batman-robin.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Ling's vision of Gotham City was a luminous and outlandish evocation of modern [[Expressionist architecture|Expressionism]]{{cn|date=March 2025}} and [[Constructivist architecture|Constructivism]].<ref>''Batman & Robin'' DVD extras</ref> Its [[Futurist architecture|futuristic]] design, which ''[[Washington Post]]'' critic Desson Howe felt evoked the 1982 film ''[[Blade Runner]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/batmanforever.htm|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|title='Batman Forever': Robin Debuts|last=Howe |first=Desson|url-status=live|language=en-US|access-date=March 7, 2022|archive-date=January 19, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090119040902/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/batmanforever.htm|quote=Departing from former ''Batman'' director Tim Burton's gothic approach to New York, Schumacher and production designer Barbara Ling compulsively layer the background with a [[Futurist architecture|futuristic city design]] that seems to aim for ''Blade Runner'' by way of ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles''}}</ref> were described by Ling in her book, ''Bigger, Bolder, Brighter: The Production Design of Batman & Robin'' as a cross between 1930s Manhattan and the "Neo-Tokyo" of ''[[Akira (1988 film)|Akira]]''. Ling cited "[[neon sign|neon-ridden]]" Tokyo and the [[Machine Age]] as her influences, describing her Gotham as "like a [[World's fair|World's Fair]] on [[Methylenedioxymethamphetamine|ecstasy]]".<ref>Barbara Ling, ''Bigger, Bolder, Brighter: The Production Design of Batman & Robin''. 2005. [[Warner Home Video]]</ref> When Batman is pursuing [[Two-Face]] in ''Batman Forever'', the chase ends at Lady Gotham, the fictional equivalent of the [[Statue of Liberty]]. During Mr. Freeze's attempt to freeze Gotham in the film ''[[Batman & Robin (film)|Batman & Robin]]'', the targeting screen for his giant laser locates it somewhere on the [[New England]] shoreline, possibly as far north as [[Maine]]. The soundtrack for ''Batman & Robin'' features [[Gotham City (song)|a song named after the city]] and sung by [[R. Kelly]], later included on international editions of his 1998 [[double album]] ''[[R. (R. Kelly album)|R.]]''

====The ''Dark Knight'' trilogy====
{{main|The Dark Knight Trilogy}}
Director [[Christopher Nolan]] has stated that [[Chicago]] inspired his portrayal of Gotham, and the majority of both ''[[Batman Begins]]'' (2005) and ''[[The Dark Knight]]'' (2008) were filmed there.<ref name=Today/> However, Nolan's Gotham City was deliberately set in New Jersey to honor Gotham's location in the comic books.<ref name=Distractify>{{cite web |url= https://www.distractify.com/p/the-batman-filming-locations |title= These Are the Cities Standing in for Gotham in 'The Batman' |website= Distractify |date= March 4, 2022 |access-date= March 6, 2022 |archive-date= March 6, 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220306213912/https://www.distractify.com/p/the-batman-filming-locations |url-status= live }}</ref>

For ''[[Batman Begins]]'', Nolan desired that Gotham appear as a large, modern city that nonetheless reflects a variety of architectural styles and periods, as well as different socioeconomic strata. The production's approach depicted Gotham as an exaggeration of New York City, with elements taken from Chicago, the elevated freeways and monorails of [[Tokyo]],<ref name=IGNInterview>{{cite web | first=Jeff | last=Otto | url=http://movies.ign.com/articles/622/622719p1.html | title=Interview: Christopher Nolan | website=IGN | date=June 5, 2006 | access-date=November 6, 2006 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331134903/http://movies.ign.com/articles/622/622719p1.html | archive-date=March 31, 2012 | url-status=dead }}</ref> and the "[[Kowloon Walled City|walled city of Kalhoon]]"{{sic}} in [[Hong Kong]], which was the basis for the slum in the film known as The Narrows.<ref name=WorldwideBBegins/><ref name=IGNInterview/>

In ''[[The Dark Knight]]'', more Chicago and New York influences were observed. On filming in Chicago, James McAllister, key location manager stated, "visually it's that look like you would see in the comic books". Nolan also stated "there's all these different boroughs, with rivers to interconnect. I think it's hard to get away from that, because Gotham is based on New York."<ref name=Today/>

For ''[[The Dark Knight Rises]]'' (2012), the production utilized [[Pittsburgh]], [[Los Angeles]], [[New York City]], [[Newark, New Jersey]], [[London]], [[Glasgow]], and [[Toronto]] for shots of Gotham City.<ref name=Reelz/><ref name=PittPostGazette/><ref name=MTV/><ref name=NJ.com1/><ref name=NewYorkPost/><ref name=NJ.com2/>

====DC Extended Universe====
{{main|DC Extended Universe}}
Within the [[DC Extended Universe]], Gotham City is located in Gotham County, [[New Jersey]]. In ''[[Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice]]'', paperwork mentions that the city is in "Gotham County", and Amanda Waller's files on Deadshot and Harley Quinn in ''[[Suicide Squad (2016 film)|Suicide Squad]]'' reveal Gotham City to be located in the state of New Jersey.<ref name="APP">{{cite news |date=August 5, 2016 |title=Review: 'Suicide Squad' |url=http://www.app.com/story/entertainment/movies/2016/08/05/review-suicide-squad-another-super-dc-mess/88286868/ |newspaper=Asbury Park Press}}</ref><ref name="CBR">{{cite web |date=August 7, 2016 |title="Suicide Squad": The Biggest Revelations From The Latest DC Film |url=http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/suicide-squad-the-biggest-revelations-from-the-latest-dc-film |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819131655/http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/suicide-squad-the-biggest-revelations-from-the-latest-dc-film |archive-date=August 19, 2016 |access-date=August 7, 2016 |publisher=[[CBR.com]]}}</ref> [[Zack Snyder]] confirmed that [[Metropolis (comics)|Metropolis]] and Gotham City are in close geographical proximity to each other.<ref>{{Cite magazine| url=https://www.wired.com/2015/07/dawn-of-justice-gotham-metropolis/| title=Zack Snyder Turned Gotham City and Metropolis into the Bay Area| magazine=Wired| date=July 11, 2015| access-date=March 7, 2017| archive-date=March 13, 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170313080330/https://www.wired.com/2015/07/dawn-of-justice-gotham-metropolis/| url-status=live}}</ref> The ''[[Boston Globe]]'' compared the close proximity of Gotham City and Metropolis to [[Jersey City]] and [[Manhattan]].<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/movies/2016/03/23/chaotic-joyless-superhero-showdown/roD16b4FzoQm6oue4oA6LJ/story.html|title ='Batman v Superman' is dark and chaotic|last=Burr |first=Ty|newspaper=[[Boston Globe]]|language=en-US|url-status=live|date=March 24, 2016|access-date=March 7, 2022|archive-date=March 26, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160326004336/https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/movies/2016/03/23/chaotic-joyless-superhero-showdown/roD16b4FzoQm6oue4oA6LJ/story.html}}</ref> A television ad for [[Turkish Airlines]] that premiered during [[Super Bowl 50|the 2016 Super Bowl]] featured [[Bruce Wayne (DC Extended Universe)|Bruce Wayne]] ([[Ben Affleck]]) promoting Gotham as a tourist destination.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/batman-v-superman-gotham-metropolis-863008|title='Batman v Superman': Gotham and Metropolis Detailed in New Promo|last=McMillan |first=Graeme|website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|language=en-US|url-status=live|date=February 8, 2016|access-date=March 7, 2022|archive-date=January 19, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220119143554/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/batman-v-superman-gotham-metropolis-863008/}}</ref>

To create Gotham in ''Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'', the creative team "decided to recreate and combine large sections of existing selected city sections and adapt the architecture and layout to fit Gotham's. Thousands of photographs were put through MPC's photogrammetry pipeline to create geometry and textures for each city section."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/batman-v-superman-doomsday-gotham-city-concept-art/|title=Batman V Superman Concept Art: Early Doomsday & Gotham City Designs|date=2017-02-13|website=ScreenRant|language=en-US|access-date=2020-03-27|archive-date=March 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200327231406/https://screenrant.com/batman-v-superman-doomsday-gotham-city-concept-art/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In ''[[Birds of Prey (2020 film)|Birds of Prey]]'', which takes place in Gotham, the entire shoot took place in Los Angeles. It was originally expected to be filmed in Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia, but the production received a tax credit from California, incentivizing the location change.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/harley-quinn-spinoff-film-birds-prey-california-tax-credit-recipients-1129269/|title=Harley Quinn Spinoff Film 'Birds of Prey' Among Latest California Tax Credit Recipients| website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|last=Kilday |first=Gregg|language=en-US|url-status=live|date=July 23, 2018|access-date=March 7, 2022|archive-date=March 4, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220304220057/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/harley-quinn-spinoff-film-birds-prey-california-tax-credit-recipients-1129269/}}</ref>

====''The Batman''====
{{main|The Batman (film)}}
The 2022 [[Matt Reeves]] film ''[[The Batman (film)|The Batman]]'' delves into the criminal underbelly of Gotham City through noir-style storytelling and highlights themes of corruption rampant within the city's government and police department.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.cnet.com/news/the-batman-director-matt-reeves-wants-to-put-you-off-kilter/ |title= 'The Batman' Director Matt Reeves Wants to Put You Off-Kilter |publisher= [[CNET]] |date= March 6, 2022 |access-date= March 6, 2022 |archive-date= March 5, 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220305202523/https://www.cnet.com/news/the-batman-director-matt-reeves-wants-to-put-you-off-kilter/ |url-status= live }}</ref> The film used [[London]], [[Glasgow]],<ref name="syfy">{{Cite web |last=Oller |first=Jacob |date=February 21, 2020 |title='The Batman' Suits Up for the Graveyard Shift in Bat-Cycle Set Photos |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/the-batman-batsuit-motorcycle-set-pictures |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200222041534/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/the-batman-batsuit-motorcycle-set-pictures |archive-date=February 22, 2020 |access-date=February 21, 2020 |website=[[Syfy Wire]]}}</ref> [[Liverpool]],<ref name=LiverpoolEcho/> and Chicago as filming locations for Gotham City,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://reelchicago.com/article/exclusive-photos-the-batman-filming-in-chicago-loop/|title=Exclusive Photos – The Batman filming in Chicago Loop|work=Reel Chicago|last=Roche |first=Matthew|date=October 20, 2020|access-date=January 24, 2022|archive-date=January 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118063441/https://reelchicago.com/article/exclusive-photos-the-batman-filming-in-chicago-loop/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://comicbook.com/dc/news/the-batman-set-chicago-motorcycle-photos-video/|title=The Batman Set Shows Dark, Gritty Gotham With Easter Eggs in Exclusive Set Video|work=[[ComicBook.com]]|last=Davis |first=Brandon|date=October 19, 2020|access-date=January 24, 2022|archive-date=November 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125143627/https://comicbook.com/dc/news/the-batman-set-chicago-motorcycle-photos-video/}}</ref> although it was modeled on New York City.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://variety.com/2022/film/reviews/the-batman-review-robert-pattinson-matt-reeves-1235188970 |title= 'The Batman' Review: A Tortured Robert Pattinson Goes Even Darker Than 'The Dark Knight' |work= [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date= February 28, 2022 |access-date= March 6, 2022 |archive-date= March 5, 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220305211115/https://variety.com/2022/film/reviews/the-batman-review-robert-pattinson-matt-reeves-1235188970/ |url-status= live }}</ref> A towering skyscraper similar to the [[Empire State Building]] looms over Gotham City with an emblazoned sign that reads "Gotham Empire". A busy, commercial intersection called "Gotham Square" is seen in several shots and resembles [[Times Square]] with its bright signs and giant digital screens. The film's concluding sequence, while filmed at London's [[The O2 Arena|O2 Arena]], is called "Gotham Square Garden", taking its naming convention from New York's [[Madison Square Garden]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nypost.com/2022/03/03/the-batman-made-me-feel-miserable-about-living-in-nyc|title='The Batman' made me feel miserable about living in crime-ridden NYC|newspaper=[[New York Post]]|date=March 3, 2022|access-date=March 6, 2022|archive-date=March 5, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220305162619/https://nypost.com/2022/03/03/the-batman-made-me-feel-miserable-about-living-in-nyc/|url-status=live}}</ref>

====''Joker'' (2019) and ''Joker: Folie à Deux'' (2024)====
{{Main|Joker (2019 film)|Joker: Folie à Deux}}
''[[Joker (2019 film)|Joker]]'' director and producer [[Todd Phillips]] imagined Gotham as a "version of Gotham was the pre-'80s boom New York, or urban northeastern center, but not the iconic New York". When asked how he re-imagined the city, production designer Mark Friedberg stated "our version of Gotham was what groomed him. It was both an appreciation for how severe things got in the city, but also for the world of possibility that lived in the version of that city."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/joker-gotham-production-designer-interview-mark-friedberg-69053/|title=The Design of 'Joker' Just Might Make You Sympathize With the Villain|date=2019-09-25|website=Backstage|language=en|access-date=2020-03-27|archive-date=March 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200327231403/https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/joker-gotham-production-designer-interview-mark-friedberg-69053/|url-status=live}}</ref> The film shot on location and used landmarks in New York City, Jersey City and Newark, New Jersey. In ''[[Joker: Folie à Deux]]'', Gotham is explicitly stated to be in [[New York state]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/joker-2-confirms-gotham-city-real-world-location/|title=Joker: Folie à Deux Confirms Gotham City's Real-World Location|first=Manuel|last=Demegillo|date=October 1, 2024|website=CBR}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thesunbreak.com/2024/10/03/joker-folie-a-deux-review/|title=Joker: Folie à Deux sends in the (sad, sociopathic, murderous) clowns|first=Chris|last=Burlingame|date=October 3, 2024|website=The SunBreak}}</ref>

====Animated films====
[[File:Gotham Knight Skyline.jpg|thumb|The Gotham City skyline in ''Batman: Gotham Knight'' (2008)]]
{{Main|DC Animated Universe}}
During the events of the [[direct-to-video]] film ''[[Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero]]'' (1998), a computer screen displaying [[Barbara Gordon]]'s personal information refers to her location as "Gotham City, NY", and also displays her area code as being 212 – a [[Manhattan]] area code.

The 2008 direct-to-DVD film ''[[Batman: Gotham Knight]]'' shows Gotham as a large city with many skyscrapers and a bustling population.