Matt Reeves’ Batman Arkham Series is in the DCU

Reeves’ Gotham City-set movies and TV series will straddle the non-DCU “Elseworlds” output and the plans that Gunn has for the sprawling new universe.

(L to R) director Matt Reeves and actor Robert Pattinson on the set of 'The Batman'

Preview:

DC boss James Gunn has clarified where Matt Reeves’ Batman projects fall in the DCU.
Reeves’ movies and TV shows will fall into different categories.
He’s currently working on ‘The Batman 2’, its Penguin TV spin-off and the Arkham series.

With the previous iteration of the DC Movie and TV universe effectively wrapping up this week via the release of ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’, fans’ attention has naturally been turning to the next evolution of the massive media world, as overseen by current co-chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran.

And Gunn, not shy of answering questions and offering teases of the future on social media, has been fielding queries about how Matt Reeves’ Batman-based output will factor into that universe.

Currently, Reeves, who released ‘The Batman’ last year, has three projects on the go: a sequel to ‘The Batman’ he’s writing and directing, a spin-off TV series about Colin Farrell’s crime boss Penguin character set in the same world as the movie, and a more mysterious show based in Gotham City’s notorious Arkham Asylum.

The Batman

"Unmask the truth."

PG-132 hr 57 minMar 2nd, 2022

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The future of ‘The Batman’

(L-R) Robert Pattinson and director Matt Reeves on the set in Warner Bros. Pictures’ action adventure 'The Batman,' a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Jonathan Olley/™ & © DC Comics. Copyright: © 2021 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Right now, Reeves has written and is intending to start directing the sequel to ‘The Batman’ early next year. A plan to kick off production in November was scrapped after the writers’ strike delayed work on the script and the associated actors’ strike affected cast availability.

Current reports have the film –– which will see the return of Robert Pattinson to the Batsuit –– starting shooting in March, taking aim at a planned October 2025 release.

‘The Batman’ and its sequel fall into what Gunn and Safran have described as “Elseworlds” stories, those which don’t directly take place in the DC Universe continuity that the two filmmakers are building.

What of ‘The Penguin’?

Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot/the Penguin in Warner Bros. Pictures’ action adventure 'The Batman,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Jonathan Olley/™ & © DC Comics. Copyright: © 2021 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Similarly, the Penguin series, on which Reeves is an executive producer (with Lauren LeFranc as showrunner and Craig Zobel as primary director), is set in the same “Elseworlds” locale as the movie it is connected to.

To debut on HBO’s streaming service Max later next year (current word points to fall), the show sees Colin Farrell return the grimy, crime-y world of Oswald Cobblepot as he seeks to secure a grip on power in Gotham’s underworld.

The show was teased in a recent Max video showing the service’s future output.

What is the Arkham Asylum series?

Robert Pattinson as Batman in Warner Bros. Pictures’ action adventure 'The Batman,' a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Jonathan Olley/™ & © DC Comics. Copyright: © 2021 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Set in Gotham City’s notorious prison/ psychiatric hospital where some of the most dangerous criminals are housed, the Arkham series is still shrouded in mystery, though it reportedly evolved from the show about the Gotham City police force that had previously been in development.

Antonio Campos, who served as showrunner on HBO’s critically-acclaimed limited series ‘The Staircase’, is leading development on the Arkham TV show for Reeves. He replaced Terence Winter (‘Boardwalk Empire’) who departed the show over creative differences.

According to Gunn, this series will, unlike Reeves’ other work, have an impact on the DC Universe going forward:

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So now you know… Batman and his associated rogues’ gallery is a big enough topic that it can fit wherever it wants. Hopefully Gunn and Safran have a real plan in place and DC doesn’t become a sprawling, chaotic place once again.

(L-R) Zoe Kravitz as Selina Kyle and Robert Pattinson as Batman in Warner Bros. Pictures’ action adventure 'The Batman,' a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Jonathan Olley/™ & © DC Comics. Copyright: © 2021 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.