The Batman star Jeffrey Wright, who is playing Jim Gordon in the new reboot movie, has had discussions regarding the spinoff series GCPD that is coming to HBO Max. The Dark Knight is about to get reimagined once more for the big screen with Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne. While Matt Reeves' installment is skipping the origin story, The Batman will revolve around Bruce's second year as a crime fighter in the corrupted Gotham City. Set outside the DCEU, the plot focuses on Batman taking on Edward Nashton, a.k.a. The Riddler, played by Paul Dano.
While there have been several Batman franchises in the past, Reeves' reboot is doing something unique that wasn't possible a few years ago. Even when The Batman was still in production, Warner Bros. revealed their plans for a number of spinoffs set in the same universe. With HBO Max now up and running since May 2020, Reeves is executive producing a Gotham PD-related show, reportedly titled GCPD, that takes place during Batman's first year. Colin Farrell's Oswald Cobblepot is also starring in his own The Penguin offshoot that is heading to the WarnerMedia-owned service. Due to the lack of updates for both projects, it seems like little has happened for GCPD since its announcement in July 2020.
Despite the reports that Wright's Gordon would be involved with GCPD, the actor has clarified what's going on behind the scenes. In a new interview with ComicBook, The Batman star was asked about his role in the DC police procedural drama, and it appears that Wright hasn't even signed on to it just yet. Given that The Batman had an extensive production due to the COVID-19 pandemic causing delays, it doesn't seem like the spinoff has been a priority for Wright just yet, as he shared the following:
"Those surfaces haven't been scratched too deeply on my end, either particularly because what I'm really most focused on is getting this film out first. Let's get this one out before we start considering other things. I mean, I haven't given it any thought. There have been some conversations about it.”
It's worth remembering that GCPD has gone through some significant creative changes between the project's original announcement and until now, which may be a cause for its lack of progress. Originally, The Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire scribe Terence Winter was hired to serve as the showrunner for The Batman spinoff show before exiting due to creative differences. As of January 2021, Giri/Haji's Joe Barton has been attached to the project as its current showrunner, with no updates since then. Despite having a straight-to-series order, HBO Max and Warner Bros. may be waiting to see how The Batman does critically and commercially before proceeding with the show.
It's still an odd choice for the studio to proceed with GCPD as a spinoff from The Batman only a few years after FOX's Gotham finished its run. Even though there will definitely be significant differences, it's questionable if another show focused on the Gotham PD is necessary. If any character from The Batman should get their own solo series, it's Zoë Kravitz's Catwoman, which there have been discussions for, according to Reeves. With The Batman set to come out in less than a week, it will be intriguing to see what Reeves' new franchise will look like and if it makes a good case for why a GCPD series should happen.
Source: ComicBook
