The Batman TV show plans have shifted to Arkham, says Matt Reeves

The Gotham PD spinoff show is being paused, says The Batman director Matt Reeves.

On Monday’s episode of the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast, Reeves revealed that the previously announced series — which he described as “the Gotham police show” — was currently on hold.

“One thing that we’re not doing that I was gonna do ... So, there’s the Gotham police show, which, that one actually is put on hold. We’re not really doing that,” Reeves said.

The show was announced in July 2020, with Reeves attached, and was originally designed as a prequel to the movie. It was not the only spinoff revolving around characters in the new Robert Pattinson-led Batman movie. Also announced was a show focusing on Colin Farrell’s Penguin, which is still well underway (Reeves describes it as “almost like Scarface; the rise of this character who we all know will achieve mythic status.”)

However, in an interview with The Cyber Nerds, as reported by The Direct, Reeves indicated that the show may’ve taken a new direction, focusing instead on Arkham Asylum. There were rumors of an Arkham series percolating, but Reeves’ quotes on the matter may imply that the Arkham-focused show and the Gotham PD show are actually the same project.

“That story has story has kinda evolved,” explained Reeves. “We’ve actually now [moved] more into the realm of exactly what would happen in the world of Arkham as it relates coming off of our movie, and some of the characters … almost leaning into the idea of … it’s like a horror movie or a haunted house that is Arkham.”

Prior to this reveal, the Gotham PD show already faced a small bump in the developmental road, when showrunner Terence Winter departed in November 2020 due to creative differences. But even with these roadblocks, it is unlikely that this is the last we’ll see of Reeves and Pattinson’s Batman. The movie premiered on March 4 and finished the weekend box office with a $128 million opening.