Robert Pattinson’s Batman movie to get TV spin-off series
The upcoming HBO show will focus on Gotham City’s police force
Think Batman deserves a better class of spin-off? Well, HBO is going to give it to you: a new caped crusader TV series is in the works, one that will tie-in to upcoming DC films.
Although upcoming film The Batman – which stars Robert Pattinson as the Dark Knight – hasn’t yet completed filming, streaming service HBO Max has announced a tie-in series set in Gotham City.
Currently untitled, the new show will follow the city’s police force as they battle the criminal underworld.
Although it’s not confirmed if Pattinson or Jeffrey Wright (Commissioner Gordon in the upcoming film) will star in the series, HBO has said the show will exist in the same universe as new movies.
This move mirrors the current Marvel ‘phase four’ strategy, with Disney Plus TV series such as Hawkeye released alongside big-screen offerings like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
The new series will therefore exist outside the world of DC’s so-called Arrowverse. This band of shows features Batwoman, a series that recently replaced lead Ruby Rose with Javicia Leslie.
While The Batman director Matt Reeves will helm the new project, Terence Winter, writer of Boardwalk Empire and The Sopranos, will write and executive produce the series.
“This is an amazing opportunity, not only to expand the vision of the world I am creating in the film, but to explore it in the kind of depth and detail that only a long-form format can afford,” Matt Reeves said in a statement.
“And getting to work with the incredibly talented Terence Winter, who has written so insightfully and powerfully about worlds of crime and corruption, is an absolute dream.”
HBO Max added: “The series provides an unprecedented opportunity to extend the world established in the movie and further explore the myriad of compelling and complex characters of Gotham."
A target airdate hasn’t yet been announced by HBO.
It’s currently unclear how UK viewers will be able to watch the series. However, it is possible UK services Sky and NOW TV will host the title due to their current deal with HBO.
RadioTimes.com has reached out to Sky for comment.
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Authors
Thomas is Digital editor at BBC Science Focus. Writing about everything from cosmology to anthropology, he specialises in the latest psychology, health and neuroscience discoveries. Thomas has a Masters degree (distinction) in Magazine Journalism from the University of Sheffield and has written for Men’s Health, Vice and Radio Times. He has been shortlisted as the New Digital Talent of the Year at the national magazine Professional Publishers Association (PPA) awards. Also working in academia, Thomas has lectured on the topic of journalism to undergraduate and postgraduate students at The University of Sheffield.