The James Gunn/Peter Safran regime at DC Studios wiped the slate clean – literally. They trimmed the development slate drastically ahead of launching their new single, cohesive DC Universe, all the while dismissing claims that key shows and films were stalled or outright dead.
Two such projects might be news to most people. Due to rumors, hearsay, radio silence, and announcements getting lost in the shuffle shortly after they were made, it became tough to keep track of what was legitimately in the pipeline for the new DCU—as well as the few long-standing DC projects that would be considered Elseworlds titles. Fitting that description at this stage is a pair of live-action TV shows centered around Gotham’s premier vixens Catwoman and Poison Ivy.
DC Studios reportedly passes on Catwoman and Poison Ivy shows
According to a new report from The Ankler, Catwoman and Poison Ivy shows were indeed pitched to DC and HBO, but the studios ultimately passed on both ideas. While it was unclear if one or both of these axed series would tie into Gunn’s larger DCU, trade chatter suggested both projects were designed to spin out of Matt Reeves’s ongoing "Bat-Verse" seen in The Batman, HBO’s spinoff series The Penguin, and the upcoming sequel to the former.
In Ms. Kyle’s case, that could have entailed the return of Zoë Kravitz as a loner still coming to grips with being the daughter of a prominent mobster, Carmine Falcone, who was assassinated by The Riddler in the street. She also went on the run at the end of her last appearance; what she was up to between The Batman and The Batman Part II would be fair game for loose plot threads and character study.
The Poison Ivy pitch was even more of a mystery, though allegedly further along in development than anyone knew. Scripts were reportedly being written under the radar right up until the rug was pulled. While no casting was finalized, Scarlett Johansson’s name was briefly floated in connection with Ivy. However, those whispers were primarily linked to a role in The Batman Part II.
If Johansson plays the villainess in Reeves’s sequel, a standalone Ivy series could have created immediate brand confusion and creative conflict—adding plausibility to long-held (yet still suspect) speculation of behind-the-scenes Bat-verse friction.
DC Studios leadership might also feel as though two more standalone villain-centered series would oversaturate the market. Gotham is already well-represented across film and TV. Between The Penguin, upcoming villain projects like Clayface, animated offerings like the Knightfall trilogy, and The Batman Part II, executives likely felt there was already a glut of Batman-adjacent media.
Then there is the elephant in the room, which we have ignored for long enough. Insiders maintain that Gunn remains fiercely passionate about getting his own Bat-Family film, The Brave and the Bold, into production, even as it swims upstream against a heavy creative current. With Gunn's grand DCU vision and Reeves’s localized stewardship of Gotham, it's still all a little uncertain at DC Studios when it comes to the Caped Crusader.
The Batman Part II arrives in movie theaters on February 18, 2028.
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