HBO Max and director Matt Reeves, the man behind the upcoming The Batman movie starring Robert Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz, are developing a police drama series set in the streets of Gotham City.
Terence Winter will write and executive produce the series, which is coming with a series commitment from HBO Max. Batman producer Dylan Clark and Warner Bros. Television are also involved.
The untitled series insiders are referring to as Gotham Central, is based on the police procedural comic from writers Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka, and GCPD. While much is still under wraps, it will deal with police detectives working in the shadow of the Caped Crusader.
The most exciting new is that the show will operate in the same story universe as Reeves’ movie,The Batman which features Jeffrey Wright in the role of James Gordon.
HBO Max says the series will be “set in the world Reeves is creating for The Batman feature film and will build upon the motion picture’s examination of the anatomy of corruption in Gotham City, ultimately launching a new Batman universe across multiple platforms. The series provides an unprecedented opportunity to extend the world established in the movie and further explore the myriad of compelling and complex characters of Gotham.”
It is unclear whether Wright and Pattinson would appear in the show. No castings have been made at this early stage.
“This is an amazing opportunity, not only to expand the vision of the world I am creating in the film, but to explore it in the kind of depth and detail that only a longform format can afford,” said Reeves in a statement. “And getting to work with the incredibly talented Terence Winter, who has written so insightfully and powerfully about worlds of crime and corruption, is an absolute dream.”
“Our collaboration with Warner Bros. and DC allows us to elaborate and grow fan connections across these powerful brands for years to come,” stated HBO Max chief content officer Kevin Reilly. “This is Batman as most audiences have never seen before and we know fans will want to spend more time in this new world inspired by the film.”
Gotham City’s finest have already been the subject of a TV series. Gotham, which ran on Fox from 2014 to 2019, focused on a relatively young Gordon, played by Benjamin McKenzie, and featured the origins of Batman’s rogue’s gallery. While The CW already airs Batwoman, the Batman-centric show which cast Javicia Leslie as the replacement for departing star Ruby Rose.
HBO Max has made developing DC-centric shows one of its top priorities and has J.J. Abrams and his Bad Robot banner, among other producers, working on several supernatural shows based on DC intellectual property.
Reeves is currently in prep to restart shooting Batman, which was on hold due to the pandemic, this fall in the UK.
