While delayed by the pandemic, The Batman starring Robert Pattinson promises to be a major release for next year.
HBO and HBO Max Chief Content Officer Casey Bloys has now shared how the upcoming film will connect to HBO Max’s untitled Gotham city series.
The new Dark Knight
The newest take on the Dark Knight shows a young Batman worried if he’s making enough of an impact in Gotham City. He’s then challenged by a deadly serial killer called the Riddler and tempted by Catwoman.
Initially, The Batman was to premiere in theaters on October 21, 2021. Production was underway when the Covid-19 pandemic forced a shutdown.
In September, production resumed only for another delay when Robert Pattinson tested positive for Covid-19 and stopped production for several weeks. The decision was made to delay the film until March 4, 2022.
Besides Pattinson, the film stars Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Colin Farrel as Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin, Paul Dano as Edward Nashton/The Riddler, and John Turturro as Carmine Falcone.
The spin-off plans
While untitled, the spin-off series, announced in July of 2020, is described as akin to the 2000s Gotham Central comic. It will explore the police of Gotham as they handle the town’s often insane crimes.
Gotham PD (to use its working title) was created by Terence Winter. He exited the project in November 2020, and Joe Barton has been tapped as the new showrunner.
The idea appeared to be focusing on the police, with Batman only mentioned. Bloys indicated there would be some crossover with the possibility of Pattinson appearing on the new show.
Matt Reeves is obviously a producer on ‘Gotham City PD.’ We don’t want to reserve characters just for films or for TV. There should be kind of some fluidity between them. So that is the idea. I mean, we’re in very early stages on that. So I don’t want to suggest that any one character will be. But yes, that is, generally speaking, that is the idea, that there will be crossover.”
During DC’s FanDome event in August, director Matt Reeves stated the series would also be based on the acclaimed Frank Miller “Batman Year One” storyline exploring the effect Batman’s arrival has on the people of Gotham.
Gotham’s return to TV
This would not be the first TV show to explore the police of Gotham City. Fox’s Gotham ran from 2014 to 2019 and acted as a prequel to how Bruce Wayne became Batman and the rise of his rogues’ gallery of villains.
That series was notable for waiting until the final episode’s closing moments to show Batman in full costume. This new show would feature a younger Batman, perhaps hunted by the police.
While Pattinson appearing as Batman (or even Bruce Wayne) may be tricky, the show could still use Wright’s Jim Gordon or other characters from the movie.
This connection can produce some synergy to link the new big-screen Batman with the dangerous city’s small-screen adventures.
The Batman will debut in theaters on March 4, 2022. Gotham PD is set to air on HBO Max in 2022.