WARNING: Major SPOILERS for The Batman are discussed in this article.
The Batman director and writescr Matt Reeves compares the upcoming Arkham Asylum spinoff series to a horror movie taking place in a haunted house. Reeves’ DC reboot of Batman was released in theaters on March 4th and has grossed over $128 million in its opening weekend, making it the second highest-grossing film of the pandemic era (behind Spider-Man: No Way Home). The film stars Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin, Jeffrey Wright as Lieutenant James Gordon, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, and Paul Dano as The Riddler.
Inspired by comics like Batman: Year One, Reeves' take on The Batman sees Bruce Wayne in his second year as The Dark Knight, using his detective skills to hunt Riddler—a serial killer in the vein of the Zodiac targeting Gotham’s corrupt elites. The noir's depiction of Gotham City and its inhabitants is already birthing a new “Bat-Verse.” Late last year, a Gotham City Police Department and Penguin spinoff series were both announced as in development for HBO Max. The original plan for the former was that it would take place a year before The Batman and follow Gotham PD. However, that series' main focus has now shifted from the police department to Arkham Asylum, the psychiatric hospital/prison where many members of Batman’s rogues’ gallery reside.
In a recent interview with The Cyber Nerds, Reeves talked about how the once Gotham PD series became an Arkham Asylum show. The series’ executive producer said the show will explore Arkham as “it relates coming off of” The Batman before describes it as a horror movie centering on a haunted house. Read the full quote below:
“The GCDP thing, that story has story has kinda evolved. We’ve actually now [moved] more into the realm of exactly what would happen in the world of Arkham as it relates coming off of our movie, and some of the characters… almost leaning into the idea of… it’s like a horror movie or a haunted house that is Arkham. The idea, again the way that Gotham is a character in the movie, I really want Arkham to exist as a character. You go into this environment and encounter these characters in a way that feels really fresh. And so in our work on Gotham, that story started to evolve, and it started feeling [like], ‘Wait, we should really lean into this.' And then that’s kinda where that’s gone.”
When the Gotham PD series was announced, many fans questioned the decision to make another show focusing on the police department so soon after the conclusion of Fox’s Gotham TV series. The switch to Arkham is both smart and appropriate considering how The Batman sets up the Arkham family and their Asylum. Following Batman’s and Gordon’s very long and messy investigation, Riddler finally turns himself and is taken to Arkham during The Batman's third act. At the end of the film, Dano’s character has an ominous conversation with his new friend, Barry Keoghan’s Joker—who was initially supposed to show up in an earlier visit to Arkham, which Reeves cut from the film (but may show up on the Blu-ray release).
In many ways, The Batman has the look and feel of Rocksteady Studios’ beloved Arkham games. Despite being infamous and influential in Batman lore, the maximum-security prison has only been briefly visited or referenced in live action. Using Arkham as setting in a horror-esque series and treating it like a haunted house filled with Batman baddies seems like the sort of idea someone should’ve come up with a long time ago. The series can serve as a litmus test for villains who could show up in The Batman franchise—which already has horror/thriller elements. On top of that, the occasional Pattinson cameo would more than make sense as he visits and/or questions criminals he put in Arkham. Better yet, lock him in the Asylum for an episode or two.
Source: The Cyber Nerds
