The upcoming The Batman spin-off series has a new working title that hints at the insanity of Arkham Aslyum.
Fans are eagerly awaiting Matt Reeves’s The Batman which will take place during Batman’s second year as a vigilante. The Batman will not only feature the Caped Crusader dealing with corruption in the Gotham Police, but a serial killer known as The Riddler. Many fans are excited for the new film because Reeves has made clear that The Batman will have a focus on the detective aspect of the Dark Knight.
It was announced that a spin-off series was in development for HBO Max in July 2020 with showrunner Terrence Winter and The Batman director Matt Reeves along with The Batman producer Dylan Clark, Daniel Pipski, and Rafi Crohn serving as executive producers. In November Terrence Winter left the series and in January it was announced that Joe Barton was taking over as showrunner.
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We here at The Illuminerdi revealed details about 2 lead characters for the series in February. Based on their descriptions it was speculated that these characters could be Marcus Driver and Janice Porter of Gotham Central. Not many details are known about the untitled Gotham PD series other than it’s connection to The Batman and the corruption that will be at the center of it. But we at The Illuminerdi have continued to dig into the spin-off series and it looks like we may have learned the title which opens up a lot of intriguing possibilities.
NEW TITLE FOR THE BATMAN SPIN-OFF SERIES
According to our sources it looks like the untitled Gotham PD series may finally have a new working title, Arkham. The series is said to not only be a prequel to the highly anticipated The Batman taking place during the vigilante’s first year, but from the perspective of a corrupt Gotham police officer. But what could the working title Arkham mean?
Arkham is infamous in the Batman comics as the asylum for the criminally insane and houses the many deranged villains of Gotham. The asylum first appeared in 1974 in Batman #258 written by Dennis O’Neil and art by Irv Novick. Arkham is known for its poor security and former patients reoffending and being sent back.
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Batman’s high-profile rogues are often seen escaping before the Caped Crusader rounds them up and returns them. Arkham is famously corrupt with the wardens, guards, and doctors, like Harleen Quinzel and Jonathan Crane, often losing their minds and becoming villains themselves.
What Could The Arkham Working Title Signal?
The title Arkham opens up a lot of interesting possibilities. With the series said to take place before The Batman during the Dark Knight’s first year as an active vigilante this could be an indication that Gotham will be at its worst. The Batman will feature a number of Batman’s rogues in their early years including a different version of Riddler, Catwoman, and Penguin before he is the kingpin of Gotham. Could the series also feature the early years of the asylum before Batman’s rogues are the main inhabitants.
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Arkham Asylum has long been corrupt and the spin-off series is expected to follow a corrupt member of the GCPD, perhaps the two are connected. In the Fox series Gotham, detective Jim Gordon, was briefly assigned to guard duty at the Asylum which could be a way to bring the hospital into the forefront of the series.
The title Arkham could also be indicative of the chaos of Gotham during Batman’s first year. Showrunner Joe Barton, when answering a fan’s question on twitter, revealed that “there are no good cops” in Gotham and he has also made it clear that this series will be “very different” than the Fox series Gotham. He explained that he “wouldn’t be that interested in remaking a show that ended like 5 minutes ago.” Arkham, like Gotham, is synonymous with Batman, but how exactly the asylum for the criminally insane comes into play in the series is still a mystery.
Are you excited for The Batman spin-off series? What do you think about the Arkham working title? Leave your thoughts in the comments below or on our social media and check back with The Illuminerdi for more The Batman and Arkham news.
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