Listen to this article“The Penguin,” a Warner Bros. Discovery series now streaming on Max, spent nearly $135 million in New York, including Long Island. That’s according to new data released by the studio, according to the Motion Picture Association (MPA).
Starring Colin Farrell and Cristin Miloti, “The Penguin” is a crime drama that is based on the DC Comics of the same name.
Warner Bros. Discovery hired more than 2,200 local New York cast and crew, delivering more than $73 million in wages to those retained for the production. The series filmed for 112 days around New York, including Upper Brookville, in all five boroughs of New York City, as well as in Westchester County.
“’The Penguin’ reinforced a fundamental fact about the impact of the film and television industry: when production arrives in New York or any city, it means more jobs for local workers, more investments in local businesses, and more growth for local economies,” Charles Rivkin, chairman and CEO of the MPA, said in a news release about the production.
“This doesn’t happen by accident – it takes a brilliant cast and crew matched with smart incentives by policymakers from Long Island to Buffalo,” Rivkin added. “When you get that combination, you see heroes and villains walking the streets of Gotham, and you see more New Yorkers on the job, bringing visionary ideas to life.”
Additional spending across New York generated $60.8 million in local economic activity, including $6.3 million on location fees and permits, $5.4 million on props and set dressing, $5.3 million on transportation and care rentals, $2.1 million in local catering and $1.5 million on hotels and lodging, according to the MPA.
Filming on Long Island was mainly in Upper Brookville at La Selva, a Mediterranean-style villa, that was built in 1918. In the series, the mansion is the home of Miloti’s character Sofia Falcone, the daughter of the late Carmine Falcone, a crime boss. Sofia and Penguin fight to reign over the criminal underworld.
Kalina Ivanov, the series production designer, told Time Out New York that she chose a home that would be fitting of the daughter of a “third generation gangster,” who had “really great taste.”
Ivanov went on to say that “we immediately knew we wanted his house to look like a Great Gatsby mansion in Oyster Bay. We ended up with a beautiful mansion in La Selva. It had all these elements that were so poetic.”
Scenes were shot in the estate’s entryway, corridors, basements, and greenhouse, she said.
The series “showcases the unparalleled benefits of choosing New York as a production hub,” Hope Knight, president and CEO of Empire State Development, said in the news release.
“From creating thousands of jobs for local cast and crew to driving millions of dollars in direct economic impact across our communities, this production is a testament to the power of New York’s film and television tax credits and our state’s exceptional talent and resources,” Knight said. “We are proud to see Gotham come to life here and to support programs that open doors for underrepresented talent in the entertainment industry.”
Because of the extensive local production, the series earned a “Made in NY” production title, a recognition given only to projects that were filmed at least 75% in New York.