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The Batman: HBO Max spin-off won’t be based on Gotham Central after all

By Andre Farquharson

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 13: British actor Robert Pattinson pictured during filming of The Batman movie which is taking place outside St. George's Hall, on October 13, 2020 in Liverpool, England. The Batman is an upcoming American superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name. Produced by DC Films and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is a reboot of the Batman film franchise directed by Matt Reeves. (Photo by Colin McPherson/Getty Images)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 13: British actor Robert Pattinson pictured during filming of The Batman movie which is taking place outside St. George's Hall, on October 13, 2020 in Liverpool, England. The Batman is an upcoming American superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name. Produced by DC Films and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is a reboot of the Batman film franchise directed by Matt Reeves. (Photo by Colin McPherson/Getty Images) /
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The Batman spin-off series for HBO Max will primarily focus on Jeffrey Wright’s James Gordon and is not based on Gotham Central.

The Batman, helmed by War for the Planet of the Apes director Matt Reeves, is one of the most highly-anticipated movies on the film calendar. Its spin-off series, set to arrive on HBO Max, is also eagerly-awaited by fans.

Not much is known about the spin-off as of yet but there was an initial belief that it would be influenced by the Gotham Central comic book series – written by Greg Rucka and Ed Brubaker with art by Michael Lark. However, it turns out that this may not be the case.

What is The Batman’s HBO Max spin-off about?

As reported by IGN, Gotham Central co-writer Ed Brubaker recently appeared on Kevin Smith’s Fatman Beyond podcast and spoke a little bit about the upcoming HBO Max series. Though many presumed that the Gotham PD series would take inspiration from the comic book series, it seems that it may go in a more Jim Gordon-centric direction. Brubaker commented:

"“I was like ‘maybe they’re really going to make Gotham Central this time’ and so I reached out to a producer who works for Matt Reeves and he says ‘no, that’s not really Gotham Central… They’re making sure that they don’t call it Gotham Central and it’s more of a spin-off from the movie. It’s like the James Gordon show.”"

Brubaker’s comments suggests that Jeffrey Wright may lead the series as James Gordon, reprising his role from The Batman, and that is something that most fans did expect to happen. Other than that speculation, however, casting has yet to be confirmed.

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If this does turn out to be the case then it would be the second Gotham PD-based series that relied heavily on the James Gordon character, with Fox’s Gotham following a similar trend before it went in a more Elseworlds direction.

Little remains known about the series’ plot. It is believed to be a prequel to the Robert Pattinson-led film, set during Bruce Wayne’s freshman year as The Dark Knight (whereas the 2022 film is set during Year Two). It’s also believed to take place on the DCEU’s Earth-2.

The untitled Gotham PD series has Matt Reeves and Joe Barton (who stepped in after the previous showrunner left) writing the series. Reeves, Daniel Pipski, Adam Kassan and Dylan Clark are executive producers. Rafi Crohn is a co-executive producer. The spin-off is expected to arrive in the near-future on HBO Max.

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What are your thoughts on this Gotham PD series centering on James Gordon? Do you think a Gotham Central approach would have worked better? Are you excited for this project to drop on HBO Max? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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