The Batman Director's Gotham Police Spin-Off Has "Evolved" Into An Arkham Asylum Series

The previously announced The Batman spin-off focusing on the Gotham Police Department that was declared permanently "on hold" as recently as Monday may, in fact, have already "evolved" into a series focused on Arkham Asylum. On The Cyber Nerds podcast, filmmaker Matt Reeves shared some new details.

"The GCPD thing, that story has kind of evolved," said Reeves (via IGN). "We've actually now [moved] more into the realm of exactly what would happen in the world of Arkham as it relates [to the] coming off of our movie, and some of the characters, again in their origins… It's like a horror movie or a haunted house that is Arkham."

Reeves added that he wants Arkham "to exist as a character, so that you go into this environment and encounter these characters in a way that feels really fresh." However, what's less clear is whether the GCPD series may still happen, as in another podcast he indicated it needed to center on another character. What's even less clear, still, is or why Reeves is going on podcasts sharing conflicting information. Regardless, plans still seem to be in place for the other planned The Batman spin-off, which would follow Colin Ferrell's Penguin character. Reeves said the door was still tentatively open to revisit the GCPD idea, however--just with the focus centered on another character.

The Batman opened on March 4, taking in $128 million in its first weekend. This is the first proper theatrical release from Warner Bros. since 2020's Tenet. The Batman won't be arriving on HBO Max for at least 45 days after its initial release.