‘The Batman’ Spinoff Shows on Gotham PD and Arkham Got Dropped After HBO Execs Wanted to ‘Lean Harder into Marquee Characters,’ Says Matt Reeves

As a die-hard fan of Matt Reeves and his take on the Dark Knight universe, I was thrilled when news broke that he was expanding “The Batman” into television with a series centered on the Gotham police department. The idea of exploring the corrupt world of Gotham’s law enforcement, inspired by Sidney Lumet’s “Prince of the City,” sounded like a masterstroke. I couldn’t wait to see how this story would intersect with the emergence of Batman and the internal corruption of the GCPD.


Matt Reeves, the director of “The Batman,” shared with Entertainment Weekly that plans for a series about the Gotham police department and Arkham Asylum were abandoned following HBO’s recommendation to highlight more prominent characters from Batman’s universe. Reeves is now broadening the universe he established in “The Batman” into television, commencing this fall with “The Penguin,” where Colin Farrell returns as the title character, the notorious Gotham City gangster.

During the creation of “The Batman” film script, Reeves expressed his thoughts, saying, “I’ve got an idea! There are some fascinating spin-offs we could explore in this Dark Knight universe.” This desire to broaden the scope led him to securing a deal with Warner Bros.

In July 2020, news broke about an upcoming “The Batman” spin-off focused on the Gotham City Police Department. The project was spearheaded by Matt Reeves and Terence Winter, creator of “Boardwalk Empire.” However, Terence left the team in November, and Joe Barton took over in January 2021. During an interview with the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast in March 2022, Reeves shared that the initial concept for the Gotham PD series was inspired by Sidney Lumet’s “Prince of the City.” The show aimed to explore a morally questionable police officer in Gotham as they grappled with the arrival of Batman and their department’s own corruption. This prequel was set a year before “The Batman” unfolded.

“At one point, Reeves shared that the story wouldn’t have been about Batman, but rather a corrupt police officer. The focus was going to be on how the most notorious criminals in Gotham were actually the cops within the GCPD. This officer would have encountered Gordon at some point, serving as a contrast for him. It was going to be a struggle for the officer’s moral compass.”

When the project didn’t take flight, Reeves shifted focus to a new Arkham Asylum-themed spinoff concept. Antonio Campos joined as writer and producer for this series. However, according to recent reports from EbMaster, the production seems to have been cancelled.

In conversation with Entertainment Weekly, I shared my thoughts about two potential spinoff series for “The Batman” universe. However, when HBO’s executives provided their insights on the direction that “The Batman” should take in transitioning to television, these ideas were set aside.

Reeves shared that they expressed, “We’re fond of your approach and would like to focus more on the main characters,” he continued, mentioning some features from the canceled Gotham PD series were incorporated into “The Penguin.”

In the film, it’s intriguing how the Riddler leads the search party towards what appears to be the true culprit, making it seem as if the Penguin is involved in some way. However, this movie introduces a power void and the underestimated nature of the Penguin causes people to overlook his true identity.

As a devoted cinema enthusiast, I’m thrilled to share some exciting news about “The Penguin”! This new series picks up just one week after the events of “The Batman,” as revealed by head writer and showrunner Lauren LeFranc in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. LeFranc described it as the missing link between the two films, offering a compelling connection to Matt Reeves’ upcoming sequel, “The Batman Part II.” Unfortunately for us fans, we’ll have to wait until 2026 to witness “The Batman Part II” in theaters. In the meantime, let’s immerse ourselves in “The Penguin” and enjoy the captivating journey it promises to bring!

“We’re going almost directly into the second film Matt has planned,” LeFranc added.

“HBO and Max will debut the new series called “The Penguin” on September 19th. This initial season will feature a total of eight episodes.”

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2024-07-24 21:16