The Batman TV Show Will Be What Fans Wanted Gotham To Be
HBO Max's The Batman spinoff series will be what a lot of fans initially wanted FOX's Gotham to be. The latest cinematic take on Batman is on the way with Robert Pattinson set to portray DC's infamous Dark Knight. The film is currently in production amidst the global pandemic as Matt Reeves' film has been pushed back from 2021 to 2022. But unlike previous Batman movies, the reboot is taking it to a new level as a franchise. Even before The Batman hits theaters, Reeves is bringing his Batman universe to the small screen in the form of a Gotham P.D.-related show.
The project, which has been referred to as Gotham Central, is in development for HBO Max and is a big deal for DC's cinematic history. This is the first time that a DC film is branching off and launching spinoffs in the form of TV shows. While Terence Winter was attached initially as the showrunner and executive producer, he recently departed the project due to creative differences. Even though they're searching for a new showrunner, The Batman TV spinoff has gotten a lot of attention due to it being revealed to be in the works only a year after FOX's Gotham ended.
However, the two Batman-related TV shows are still vastly different from one another, despite heavily focusing on the Gotham City Police Department. While the FOX series followed Gordon as the central character, it was partially a Batman origin story. The prequel show took place in a world where the Caped Crusader had yet arrived as its ultimate protector and was witnessing the further corruption of Gotham City. The Batman TV spinoff show, however, will take place in a universe where Bruce has been operating as Batman for one year, officially taking place before the 2022 film.
Gotham Central would follow the Gotham City PD as they're just beginning to learn about Batman without Pattinson's character necessarily showing up on-screen. That is a new angle that hasn't been explored much before and, quite frankly, what Gotham fans wanted their show to be at the start. Gotham season 1 was the only season where the GCPD had more focus than the super-villains. In the following seasons, several of Batman's future iconic foes became the driving force of the series while following Bruce's path to discovering his inner hero. It's imperative to point out that it doesn't negate any of the success that Gotham had as a Batman-related TV show. But ultimately, with HBO Max's Gotham Central, it'll allow the Gotham fans that wanted the GCPD focus to finally get it.
Whether or not they'll actually draw from the Gotham Central comic series remains to be seen. But it wouldn't be shocking if they do end up drawing elements from that run as it became a critically acclaimed series in the entire Batman mythology. Unlike Gotham, the HBO Max series could now maybe explore other GCPD characters such as Renée Montoya and Crispus Allen, who disappeared after the first season. The idea of a Batman-connected show that is set in the same world as The Batman universe is exciting and has a platform that is perhaps more suited to explore the inner (and darker) workings of the GCPD more than maybe FOX's Gotham could.