Long Island has served as a filming location for some of Hollywood’s biggest movies and television shows, including *The Avengers*, *Batman Forever*, *The Amazing Spider-Man 2* and *Gotham*. From the former Grumman facilities in Bethpage to the Gold Coast mansions of Glen Cove and Sands Point, recognizable Long Island locations have appeared in superhero films, science fiction movies and popular television series.
Some productions used Long Island’s soundstages, while others took advantage of its historic estates, beaches and waterfront communities. Webb Institute in Glen Cove, for example, has appeared as Bruce Wayne’s mansion in multiple Batman productions, while Robert Moses State Park stood in for Cape Canaveral in *Men in Black 3*. Here’s a look at some of the films and television shows that brought Hollywood to Long Island.
Avengers (2010)
Back in 2010 the big news on Long Island was that the all-star cast of the new Marvel movie was going to take up all seven stages at Grumman Studios in Bethpage. “The Avengers is a huge movie,” said Grumman Studios President Parviz Farahzad at the time. That is an understatement considering what followed.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
The Andrew Garfield-led pic in the Marvel universe (multiverse) of films was also partially shot at Grumman Studios. According to an article in Newsday at the time, the sequel was expected to be “one of the most expensive films made on Long Island…”
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Jessica Jones (2017)
Again from Marvel, the Netflix series Jessica Jones filmed scenes from season two at the Long Island Aquarium in Riverhead. According to northforker.com, “Riverhead Town allowed ABC Studios, one of the series’ production companies, along with Marvel Television and Tall Girls Productions, to use municipal parking on the shooting day, according to an agreement between the town and company.”
Batman Forever (1995)
The Webb Institute in Glen Cove made its debut as Wayne Manor in Batman Forever, the 1995 film starring Val Kilmer, Jim Carrey, Nicole Kidman, Tommy Lee Jones and Chris O’Donnell. The school’s Stevenson Taylor Hall, originally part of the Gold Coast estate known as The Braes, provided the exterior of Bruce Wayne’s mansion. According to Webb Institute, students watched the production film a scene involving Robin riding his motorcycle into the courtyard, a sequence that required numerous takes.
Batman & Robin (1997)
Apparently, one visit to Glen Cove wasn’t enough for director Joel Schumacher. Webb Institute returned as Wayne Manor in Batman & Robin, the 1997 sequel starring George Clooney as Batman, Chris O’Donnell as Robin, Alicia Silverstone as Batgirl and Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze. The film was widely criticized, but the filmmakers evidently had no complaints about Bruce Wayne’s Long Island real estate.
Gotham (2014–2019)
The FOX television series Gotham brought Wayne Manor back to Glen Cove, using Stevenson Taylor Hall for interior and exterior scenes. The Batman prequel, starring Ben McKenzie as James Gordon and David Mazouz as a young Bruce Wayne, began airing in 2014. Webb Institute reported that production crews returned to campus for additional filming, and the school even used money earned from the original pilot shoot to help fund improvements to its facilities.
Joker (2019)
Webb Institute appeared again as the Wayne family estate in Joker, the 2019 film starring Joaquin Phoenix. In one scene, Arthur Fleck visits the estate and encounters a young Bruce Wayne through its iron gates. The gates belong to Webb Institute, making the Glen Cove campus part of yet another interpretation of Gotham City. Incidentally, the school’s official filming records date the production to 2018, although the movie was released in 2019.
Pennyworth (2019–2022)
Stevenson Taylor Hall is also identified as Wayne Manor in Pennyworth, the television series exploring the early life of Alfred Pennyworth before he became Bruce Wayne’s butler. Starring Jack Bannon, the series premiered in 2019 and ran for three seasons. Although production was primarily based in England, the Glen Cove mansion is identified in references to the show’s depiction of Wayne Manor. Unlike the other four Batman-related productions, this appearance isn’t documented in Webb Institute’s own published filming history.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2013)
Remember the one where the turtles were made up to look like nightmare versions of themselves that actually seemed like they did live in the sewer rather than the wise-cracking, fun-loving versions we all grew up with? That one was filmed at Sands Point Preserve and Jones Beach.
Gemini Man
This was also filmed at Sands Point Preserve. I didn’t even remember this movie existed until I saw it was filmed there.
Men in Black 3 (2012)
According to movie-locations.com, the Cape Canaveral site for the Apollo 11 launch was recreated at Robert Moses State Park in Babylon, where the entrance to the underground bunker was created at Field 4.
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004)
Montauk and Wainscott were both locations for this movie about how Jim Carey scrubs Kate Winslet from his brain and vice versa.
Photo: Stevenson Taylor Hall at Webb Institute in Glen Cove, the former Gold Coast mansion used as Wayne Manor in Batman Forever (1995), Batman & Robin (1997), Gotham (2014–2019) and Joker (2019), and also associated with Pennyworth (2019–2022).
