Highlights
- Warner Bros. scraps Arkham Asylum TV series, originally a spinoff of The Batman.
- James Gunn’s DC Universe to develop new Batman projects separately.
- Batman: The Brave and the Bold movie in development with Andy Muschietti directing.
Warner Bros. scrapped another DC TV show intended for the Max streaming service. The project’s cancelation marks the end of a long journey that included being revamped for James Gunn’s DC Universe (DCU).
The Batman was a bonafide box office hit, prompting Warner Bros. to develop spinoff projects set in the same universe crafted by writer and director Matt Reeves. One of those projects was a TV series centered on the Gotham City Police Department when Robert Pattinson’s Batman first emerged in the city. The Batman spinoff evolved into an Arkham Asylum TV series that Gunn later clarified would be incorporated into his new DC Universe rather than Reeves’ The Batman universe. Unfortunately, the project is reportedly scrapped and won’t move forward at Max.
Variety reported that the Arkham Asylum series will not move forward, citing an “individual with knowledge of the situation.” According to this source, a new project set in Arkham Asylum could be developed. However, the iteration initially conceived as a spinoff of The Batman and later as part of Gunn’s DCU is officially scrapped. Joe Otterman, who reported the story for Variety, took to Twitter to clarify that there is no Arkham Asylum project in development at DC, and anything developed now would be separate from the original project Max committed to in 2020.
Despite the Arkham Asylum TV show’s cancelation, Warner Bros. is seemingly still intent on moving forward with Reeves’ The Batman universe. Colin Farrell’s The Penguin spinoff series is scheduled to premiere on Max later this year. Reeves is also working on The Batman Part 2, the second chapter of a planned trilogy centered on Pattinson’s Caped Crusader. In December 2023, Gunn stated that Reeves would produce stories in The Batman universe and the DCU, though there hasn’t been much word on these projects since.
Meanwhile, Gunn is moving forward with his Batman franchise set within the DCU, presumably starting with The Brave and the Bold movie. Plot details are scarce, though Gunn did reveal that the film would be a “strange” father and son story focused on Bruce and Damien Wayne, a version of Robin whose mother is Talia al Ghul in the comics. The Flash helmer Andy Muschietti is attached to direct Batman: The Brave and Bold. A new actor will be sought to play the DCU’s Batman, as Pattinson’s trilogy is set within a separate universe as part of Warner Bros.’ Elseworlds label.
So, while Warner Bros. and DC have decided to scrap the Arkham Asylum series, fans can still expect plenty of Batman content in the coming years, including an animated Batman: Caped Crusader series coming to Prime Video in August 2024. Batman is arguably DC’s most beloved character, so Warner Bros. will likely try to capitalize on the character’s popularity as much as possible, for better or worse.
The Batman is available on Max.
Source: Variety, Joe Otterson
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