The Batman was released worldwide on March 4, 2022. Assumptions for the upcoming dark story, the nemesis, and even the guest appearance started to explode right after its first teaser was released. With the movie falling into the right place, the filmmaker Matt Reeves behind the intended Gotham PD spinoff series for HBO Max has spoken out about how it turned into a drama about the legendary Arkham Asylum. The GCPD-focused program was supposed to take place in “Year One” of Batman’s career, before the events of The Batman, and expand on the film’s exploration of Gotham City’s corrupted anatomy. Director Matt Reeves‘ decision to set the series in the famed Arkham Asylum, on the other hand, will provide many of Batman’s rogues’ gallery a home.
According to Reeves: “The GCDP thing, that story has kind of evolved, we’ve actually now moved more into the realm of exactly what would happen in the world of Arkham as it relates coming off of our movie, and some of the characters, again in their origins that you would – almost leaning into the idea of – it’s like a horror movie or a haunted house that is Arkham. The idea of, again the way that Gotham is a character in the movie, I really want Arkham to exist as a character so that you go into this environment and encounter these characters in a way that feels really fresh. And so in our work on Gotham, that story started to evolve, and it started feeling, ‘Wait, we should really lean into this.’ And that’s kind of where that’s gone.”
Why Arkham Asylum Must Happen?
Arkham is an important aspect of the Batman narrative, and many would agree that a show focusing on its history and how it relates to Robert Pattinson’s Caped Crusader would be a fascinating subject to investigate. Given that the series is set before The Batman and during The Dark Knight’s first year as a rogue, it’s possible that Gotham will be at its worst.
The Batman also provided spectators an unusual look into Arkham in a live-action format; while the Arkham game trilogy enables players to venture far within the institution’s boundaries, it has only been featured on film sporadically. Joker depicts it in a manner that is eerily similar to other healthcare institutions that one would encounter in real life. Arkham is depicted to be gloomy, dirty, and strongly protected during The Batman’s enthralling confrontation between Batman and Paul Dano’s terrifying Riddler, as well as Riddler’s subsequent talk with an unknown patient.
Another spin-off based on Colin Farrell’s Penguin, discussing Oswald Cobblepot’s journey through Gotham’s underworld, is already in the making. Of course, we only spend a few minutes with Penguin in the movie, but it was enough to engage the viewer on the story’s prospects and his place among Gotham’s criminal underworld and the universe of Batman’s enemies. According to Dylan Clark, a producer on the show, it’s similar to Scarface.
The Batman is now playing in theaters starring Robert Pattinson (Bruce Wayne/Batman), Zoe Kravitz (Selina Kyle/Catwoman), Jeffery Wright (Jim Gordon), John Turturro (Carmine Falcone), Colin Farrell (Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin), and Paul Dano (The Riddler).
