Matt Reeves’ ‘Batman Epic Crime Saga’ Is Seriously Expanding With Another Spin-Off Series Coming After ‘The Penguin’

There are plenty of DC-based projects currently in development, and while all eyes are on Gunn’s DCU and his upcoming ‘Creature Commandos’ & ‘Superman’ we occasionally forget that Elseworlds, which ‘The Batman’ film series and several other upcoming projects are a part of, are doing their own thing. The next big thing is ‘The Penguin’ live-action series, but it’s not the last spinoff currently in development.

Matt Reeves and his producing partner Dylan Clark have named this spinoff franchise ‘Batman Epic Crime Saga’ and ‘The Penguin’ is only the beginning.

The upcoming show will take place a week after the events of the aforementioned movie. Following the events of the movie, Falcone is dead and The Penguin is desperately trying to fill the power vacuum left behind with the help of Sofia Falcone. The duo recently sat down with Entertainment Weekly and revealed their plans for the cinematic universe.

Reeves and Clark initially planned a spinoff series centered on the Gotham City Police Department, with Terence Winter of ‘Boardwalk Empire’ set to write. They also explored an Arkham Asylum concept. The planned ‘Gotham P.D.’ and ‘Arkham Asylum’ shows were canceled, however.

As we were writing the movie [The Batman], I was like, ‘Hey, you know what? I think there are some cool shows that we could do. It was actually why I wanted to make our deal at Warner Bros.

HBO executives advised Reeves to focus more on marquee characters, leading to the evolution of early concepts into what became ‘The Penguin.’ Although the original Gotham P.D. and Arkham Asylum ideas did not proceed, elements from the Gotham P.D. concept were incorporated into ‘The Penguin.’ Reeves highlights that in the film, the Penguin is initially misidentified as an informant, and the movie creates a power vacuum that underestimates his true influence.

LeFranc reveals that it is ‘The Penguin’ that will serve as a bridge between ‘The Batman’ and its upcoming sequel, set for 2026, leading directly into the events of Matt Reeves’ next film.

But, that’s not all, despite two shows being recently dropped, they reveal that new shows are definitely planned:

There’s another television exploration we’re going to do. We’re looking at this entire world as it relates to who Batman is — the antagonists around them, all the crime that has to be navigated in the city — and trying to figure out where are the areas that are best to explore.

‘The Penguin’ is set to premiere on Max on September 19, 2024, comprising eight episodes.

Liked this article? Join the community on Reddit for the latest Marvel & DC news!