‘The Batman’ Spin-Off Series At HBO Max Loses Showrunner Terence Winter
There’s trouble in Gotham City, and it would seem that not even The Dark Knight can save the day.
Over the summer, news surfacedof a spin-off series at HBO Maxthat would explore “the anatomy of corruption in Gotham City” in the same universe asMatt Reeves' forthcoming movieThe Batman. At the time,Boardwalk EmpirecreatorTerence Winterwas heading up the project, but unfortunately creative differences have resulted in him leaving the show. That explains why Winter recently boarded thenew TV series adaptation ofDial M for Murder.
The Hollywood Reporterhas news on Terence Winter leavingThe Batmanspin-off series at HBO Max. The report says “Winter’s vision for the drama did not match what Reeves and other producers had in mind.” Winter’s involvement in the series was one of the reasons the project was so enticing, especially considering how he handled police corruption and organized crime inBoardwalk Empire. But based on what we’ve seen so far fromThe Batman, it seems like Reeves and the producers know what they’re doing, so maybe this is for the best.The Batmanspin-off series is going by the working titleGotham Central, but it doesn’t have an official title yet. However, the working title is a reference to the comic book seriesGCPDby Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka, and Michael Lark, which focused on the activity of the Gotham City Police Department. It’s a fairly standard crime procedural kind of series that just so happened to take place in one of the most crime-ridden cities in the world, full of the maniacs and villains that Batman has to deal with.
In those comics, Batman is merely a side character and the focus is put on Commissioner Gordon and the Gotham police department. In the series, the story would unfold before the events of The Batman, during the first year that Bruce Wayne became the masked vigilante. It’s not clear ofJeffrey Wrightwould reprise his role as Gordon, or ifRobert Pattinsonwould occasionally appear as the Caped Crusader. But either way, the series on the hunt for a new showrunner and writer.
When the show was announced, it was said the series would launch “a new Batman universe across multiple platforms” and would provide “an unprecedented opportunity to extend the world established in the movie and further explore the myriad of compelling and complex characters of Gotham.” Does that mean this series will be the first of several, or will the series merely be a launching point for more comics, video games, and other multimedia projects? We’re not sure, but Warner Bros. will clearly get whatever they can out of Matt Reeves' new take on Batman.
Gotham Centralwill be produced byThe BatmanproducerDylan Clark, and Matt Reeves will executive produce through his 6th and Idaho production banner along withDaniel PipskiandAdam Kassan, withRafi Crohnserving as a co-executive producer.
Though there’s no release window set for HBO Max series,The Batmanis slated to arrive in theaters onMarch 4, 2022.
