The Batman‘s previously announced Gotham PD spinoff series gained a new working title that may hint at the narrative’s inclusion of Arkham Asylum.
The Illuminerdi reports the Gotham PD series is now operating under the working title ‘Arkham,’ which teases the show’s connection to the titular Gotham City asylum. HBO announced the series was in development back in July 2020 and it is said to be a prequel to Matt Reeves’ upcoming The Batman.
The show’s premise is said to focus on a corrupt member of the Gotham City Police Department, with the possibility of it centering on Commissioner James Gordon. Ed Brubaker, co-creator of the Gotham Central comic, dubbed the spinoff “The James Gordon Show” after a producer confirmed the series would not be an adaptation of the comic series. Jeffrey Wright will be portraying Gordon in The Batman, but the actor has not yet been confirmed as a cast member in the series. However, the spinoff does have Joe Barton on board as showrunner, alongside Matt Reeves, Dylan Clark, Daniel Pipski and Rafi Crohn serving as executive producers.
Arkham Asylum is known from the Batman comics as an institute for the criminally insane, first appearing in Dennis O’Neil and Irv Novick’s 1974 title Batman #258. The rogues gallery of criminal adversaries have been known to periodically frequent and escape the asylum, only to be hunted down by the Caped Crusader and returned behind bars. The asylum is also known to harbor corrupt guards and doctors, which could be the link to the spinoff series.
In response to a fan’s question on Twitter, the show’s first showrunner Terence Winter replied, “there are no good cops” in reference to Gotham’s police department, and the Fox series Gotham previously included a narrative where Gordon briefly undertakes guard duty at Arkham Asylum. Despite the similarities in plot points, Winter added that The Batman spinoff series will be “very different” to the Gotham show.
The Batman is set to take place during Bruce Wayne’s first year donning the cowl, featuring early iterations of popular Batman villains such as The Penguin, The Riddler and Catwoman. The prequel show will therefore be set before these antagonists become incarcerated at Arkham, opening up the possibility of showcasing a new roster of rogues.
Directed by Matt Reeves and written by Reeves and Mattson Tomlin, The Batman arrives in theaters on March 4, 2022.
Source: The Illuminerdi
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