The Batman has been the talk of the town since its release and its impact has not gone unnoticed. It has been surging through the world (except Russia) and accumulating rave reviews from critics and fans. It has even managed to attract the general public with its neo-noir'esque' detective crime film that does not follow the path paved by other superhero films. Its fresh new approach has worked wonders and continues to take the audience by surprise.
A television series that is centered on the Gotham City Police Department (GCPD) was in talks for some time now and people all over were waiting for some news regarding it. Well, the news is here but it is not something that everyone would like as it has been decided by the makers to shelf the show indefinitely. The film's director Matt Reeves, who has also been attached to the HBO Max drama set in the world of The Batman, said the series is now officially on hold. HBO Max announced the series in July 2020, with “The Batman” filmmaker Reeves and “Boardwalk Empire” creator Terence Winter at the helm of the project. But Winter exited the project in November 2020 and was replaced by Joe Barton in January 2021.
Rumors of creative differences circulated around Winter’s exit, and Reeves now confirmed that HBO Max did not see eye-to-eye on the original plan for the show. To make things clear, Reeves said during an interview for the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast that, "One thing that we’re not doing that I was gonna do....so there’s the Gotham police show, which, that one actually is put on hold. We’re not really doing that.” He also mentioned that the GCPD story has evolved and is now approaching the territories of Arkham Asylum. So it will be interesting to watch what they stir up regarding the fictional psychiatric hospital/prison.
It was not the only spinoff revolving around characters from the new Batman movie. Also announced was a show focusing on Colin Farrell’s Penguin, which is still well underway. Matt Reeves describes it as, “ It is almost like Scarface. The rise of this character who we all know will achieve mythic status.”