If it has anything to do with Batman, chances are it's going to find its way to a screen, whether big or small. Sometimes that's a character like Harley Quinn, who rose from the ranks of the Caped Crusader's Rogues' Gallery to a mega-star in her own right, and sometimes that's Alfred Pennyworth.
Alfred is a fixture in the Batman mythos and as such comic book history, but no show or film has ever taken on the character with so much interest as the new Epix series Pennyworth, which focuses on a young Pennyworth's life before he was a butler. Here are ten things you didn't know about the making of the prequel series.
Another Batman Prequel
The new Pennyworth series comes courtesy of writer Bruno Heller, who also is an executive producer alongside director Danny Cannon. Heller wrote for Rome and The Mentalist and has considerable experience in the world of Batman. He produced and wrote for the Fox series Gotham, which was also a prequel series of sorts. That series focused on Jim Gordon dealing with the city's myriad villains since Bruce Wayne was only a pre-teen. Alfred Pennyworth featured in that series as well, played by Sam Pertwee.
Not A Carnival
Heller relished the idea of taking on another Batman prequel series, but one without the vast majority of its characters and narrative architecture, because as he said in an interview with Variety, he was always more interested in the real people of the story in any case. Another thing he looked forward to with the Pennyworth series was being able to actually get into the stories of characters because the multiple parts and stories on Gotham made it a 'carnival' and hard to manage.
Creative License To Kill
Another thing Heller enjoyed about the new series, particularly considering its placement on the Epix network, is that it can do things Gotham never could. The premium network meant the story could get much edgier than Batman fare traditionally does with the mature themes (Alfred getting intimate with the Queen of England, for example). Managing to sidestep the restrictions of broadcast television, the new series can go places no other comic book show has with its content and themes (well, with some exceptions).
Mod Men
A big feature of Pennyworth is its setting. The show takes place in 1960s London and creates a strong vibe with sets, costumes, and props that evoke shows like Mad Men.
The style of the show is emphasized strongly in the advertising for the series, which distinguishes it considerably from any other Batman-related content (it shares no similarities whatsoever with the 60s set Adam West Batman for instance). There are some things that didn't happen in the 60s though, like public executions.
SAS Agent
The show focuses on young Alfred Pennyworth, and his mysterious life before becoming the Wayne family butler in Gotham. How did it happen? The show aims to chart that evolution and starts with Alfred as an agent of the SAS. Alfred's military background has been alluded to elsewhere, particularly in The Dark Knight, when Michael Caine's Alfred alluded to his military experience as a young man. His military background has also been incorporated into the comic books with new reboots of continuity.
Alfred Was In Love?
By delving into Alfred's past, the show adds new layers to his backstory. A big part of it in the first season (a second season was in pre-production before the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic) is his relationship with Esme Winikus. Esme is a nightclub dancer and aspiring actress in London, but she runs afoul of one of the show's main villains, Bet Sykes, who is connected to the show's Big Bad, The Raven Society. Her death casts a shadow over Alfred -- one that the Queen of England evidently lifts, anyway.
The Raven Society
The Raven Society is a little like the mysterious Twelve from Killing Eve, except fans learn a lot more about them in the course of Pennyworth's first season. The Raven Society has existed for some time, though it's unclear how long. The underground extremist group aims to overthrow the UK government and set up a fascist state, but of course, the SAS and Alfred Pennyworth are on the job to stop them. Well, they try. Alfred's father, coerced by the group, ends up killing most of the Royal Family.
No Name League
The show creates another new mysterious organization with no roots in the comics to counter the Raven Society. The No Name League is a similarly old and secret group with designs on influencing world affairs, but their intentions are better (no killing royal families, for instance).
The creation of these opposing forces makes the show a more James Bond affair, and distances the series further from the Batman mythos to the point fans might wonder if it could have been about any British spy. The No Name League does have an important Bat-connection though.
Not Yet The Waynes
Thomas and Martha Wayne are two of the most pivotal characters in all of comics, but like Alfred, they have very little story attached to them other than the moment that defined Bruce Wayne's life. The show positions them as key players in the No Name League and undercover agents. This is a huge change from the comics. Thomas Wayne is played by Ben Alderidge, an English actor who previously appeared on Larkrise To Candleford, while Martha is still Martha Kane and played by Emma Paetz.
No Batman
One thing Bruno Heller seemed committed to when developing the Pennyworth series was absolutely no Batman. Setting it in the 60s, before the Waynes were the Waynes and decades before Bruce would be born guaranteed that. While Gotham charted Bruce Wayne's evolution from a teenager to avenger of the night, this show will likely never even cast him. If so, this would be the first Batman-related television show, live-action or otherwise, to not feature the character in some way.