When Fox network premiered and played host to five-season series “Gotham,” which chronicled the life and misadventures of young Bruce Wayne after his parents’ death until becoming Batman, audiences were expectant of certain elements in the Dark Knight’s mythos that were ultimately unfulfilled. That was the abortive focus on certain supporting characters within the Gotham City police outside of Detective-later-Commissioner Jim Gordon. While certain Gotham cops did appear in some seasons their portrayals were not so accurate to their comic-book-originals. With the development of a GCPD-focused “Batman” spinoff show for HBO Max, fans of the cops from the most-embattled police department in DC Comics have expressed renewed, if cautious, excitement.
Comic Book Resources would have it that the director of Warner Bros and DC’s “The Batman” film reboot is also working on a connected spinoff series focused on the Gotham Police. Filmmaker Matt Reeves announced last week on Friday, July 10, that this show is under parallel development with his movie. While no title has been given the spinoff is supposed to showcase the various officers and detectives of “Gotham Central” as they try to protect and serve the city of Batman while struggling against super-villain foes and endemic corruption.
The apparent source of plotlines for this show on HBO Max is one of DC’s best-liked “Batman” spinoff comic titles, “Gotham Central” which focused on GCPD personnel under Commissioner Gordon, such as detectives Harvey Bullock and Renee Montoya. These good cops in a figurative basket of bad eggs solve cases mostly without input from the Dark Knight, and somehow prove that they could pull their weight in keeping Gotham City safe without some costumed help. “Gotham” on Fox only put occasional spotlights on the Gotham cops outside if Gordon and Bullock (and forensic guy Edward Nygma became the Riddler anyway).
Matt Reeves will co-develop this series with Terence Winter, who was executive producer of “Boardwalk Empire” on HBO. Their fellow executive producers include Daniel Pipski, Dylan Clark and Adam Kassam. So far, it would appear that the show will not completely overlap storyline-wise with Reeves’ “The Batman” in terms of casting, as in it likely will not see Robert Pattinson reprising his cinematic role as Bruce Wayne/Batman. “The Batman” itself from Warner Bros Pictures and DC Films is slated for an October 2021 premiere, while the spinoff has no definitive date yet on when it will premiere on HBO Max.
Image courtesy of Cinelinx
Morgan Magazine 