It’s been a while since we’ve heard any news regarding the in-development spinoff from The Batman that’s in the works for HBO Max. Matt Reeves is clearly taking his association with the Dark Knight very seriously, having attached himself to both the live-action show and the animated Batman: Caped Crusader for the streamer.
A prequel to the movie, the project focuses on the Gotham City Police Department and takes place one year before the events of Reeves’ reboot when Robert Pattinson’s costumed crimefighter is in his rookie year. Boardwalk Empire‘s Terence Winter was announced as showrunner at first, but he dropped out at the beginning of this year to be replaced by Joe Barton.
Since then, the trail has gone cold, but a new report claims to offer up some tantalizing new details, including a potential working title of Arkham, which creates all sorts of intriguing and exciting storytelling possibilities. As per the report, the story will unfold from the perspective of a corrupt cop, meaning that we won’t be getting a straightforward hero if the information turns out to be right on the money.
We know that The Batman will essentially tell the origin stories of the Riddler, Catwoman and the Penguin, so we could realistically be seeing some villains from the darker corners of Batman lore in the HBO Max series, which will take place when the city’s crime is at record high levels, so you’d have to imagine the titular facility will be reaching maximum occupancy. Corrupt police officer, iconic villains and nods to the comic back catalogue sounds like a recipe for top quality content if it mirrors the murky aesthetic of The Batman, even if it remains entirely uncorroborated for now.
