THE BATMAN HBO Max Spinoff Showrunner Makes It Clear The Series Isn't Just Another Version Of GOTHAM

THE BATMAN HBO Max Spinoff Showrunner Makes It Clear The Series Isn't Just Another Version Of GOTHAM

HBO Max is developing a spinoff for The Batman which puts the spotlight on the Gotham City Police Department, but showrunner Joe Barton has now made it clear we're not in store for another take on Gotham.

By JoshWilding - Apr 19, 2021 02:04 AM EST
Filed Under: The Batman

HBO Max's untitled small screen spinoff of The Batman is set during the Dark Knight's first year on the streets of Gotham City, but is expected to follow a crooked cop working in the GCPD. 

Over the weekend, Gotham Central comic book writer Ed Brubaker shared some comments which indicated that Jeffrey Wright's Jim Gordon will be the main focus of the series, but showrunner Joe Barton has now taken to social media to at least attempt to clarify a few things. 

As you can see below, Barton say he's "Caught between wanting to correct inaccurate news stories about my show and just being, y’know, happy that people are talking about it," which is likely a reference to the way Brubaker's comments have painted this series as being all about Gotham's future Commissioner. That sounds like a certain other Batman-themed TV show, right?

Barton would go on to make it clear that this series is "very different" to Gotham because he "personally wouldn’t be that interested in remaking a show that ended like 5 minutes ago." 

You have to wonder whether this means the show will avoid using too many familiar faces from the DC Universe, particularly Batman villains who, unlike Gotham, don't need their origin stories to play out minus the Caped Crusader. That was a problematic aspect of the FOX series, and one this show is unlikely to repeat if Barton's comments are any indication. 

Check out his Tweets below:
 

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L0RDbuckethead
L0RDbuckethead - 4/19/2021, 2:29 AM
Gustopia
Gustopia - 4/19/2021, 3:06 AM
@L0RDbuckethead - if Batman has taught us anything, it's that you can get a lot of milage and versatility out of this franchise. Tonally, all the films have been very different. Why would we suspect the same couldn't be done for 2 shows?
Origame
Origame - 4/19/2021, 3:06 AM
I mean, the fact batman actually exists in the timeframe of the show is a pretty substantial difference.
Nightwing1015
Nightwing1015 - 4/19/2021, 5:45 AM
@Origame - Is that going to effect the show's plots much though? Because ultimately, Batman probably won't appear. So it'll still be cops vs villains in the GCPD.
Origame
Origame - 4/19/2021, 9:01 AM
@Nightwing1015 - the whole point of Gotham is to show why batman was needed. Here it's gonna be how the police react to batman running around and how that changes things.
Darkknight2149
Darkknight2149 - 4/20/2021, 1:40 AM
@Origame -
The fact that this is an HBO show in the same universe as The Batman with both the film director and (very nearly) The Sopranos / Boardwalk Empire showrunner is an even bigger substantial difference.
Darkknight2149
Darkknight2149 - 4/20/2021, 1:43 AM
Not sure what people are smoking with these Gotham comparisons. People were making the same stupid comparison with Joker before the actual trailers.

We're about to get something closer to this:











Not [frick]ing this:



GhostDog
GhostDog - 4/19/2021, 3:10 AM
The James Gordon Show
Doomsday8888
Doomsday8888 - 4/19/2021, 3:23 AM
@BlackBeltJones

"GCPD, stay right where you are!
In the name of the law, stop!
I said s-stop!
Or....or i'll be forced to ask you again to stop!"
Doomsday8888
Doomsday8888 - 4/19/2021, 3:16 AM
Uh huh.
Blergh
Blergh - 4/19/2021, 3:29 AM
Damage control after the bad news. I don't expect the series to be any different from Gotham given that it's without Batman (again).

Classic WB, incapable of utilizing TV and movies in synergy
DarkDetective
DarkDetective - 4/19/2021, 7:01 AM
@Blergh - but there is a batman. Probably Pattinson is gonna pop up here and there.
Darkknight2149
Darkknight2149 - 4/20/2021, 1:56 AM
@Blergh -
1. You don't need Batman. Especially if it's a Gotham City show and not a Batman show. There are several Batman-themed comic books that don't have Batman in them, and there is an entire critically acclaimed ongoing series that was only about the GCPD. The universe is bigger than just Batman.

2. Batman is already active during this show. This isn't a prequel or an origin story.

3. This is literally an HBO show from the director of The Batman in the same universe as The Batman that even had the showrunner of The Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire attached to it at one point. I'm sorry, but no [frick]ing way is this going to be anything like Gotham.

4. You guys were making the same comparison with Joker before the trailer came out, even though we knew from the beginning that it was going to be a Martin Scorsese-style character study. So already, this comment section has a bad track record making Gotham comparisons.
bkmeijer2
bkmeijer2 - 4/19/2021, 3:40 AM
Glad he recognizes a similar sounding show just ended. Now here's hoping he actually does make it different.
Twenty23Three
Twenty23Three - 4/19/2021, 4:37 AM
Look it’s a show, about Jim Gordon in Gotham without Batman. Which is completely different in every way from the other show, about Jim Gordon in Gotham without Batman.
GhostDog
GhostDog - 4/19/2021, 5:26 AM
@Twenty23Three - LMAO!!!!
DarkDetective
DarkDetective - 4/19/2021, 6:59 AM
@Twenty23Three - but there is a batman
marvel72
marvel72 - 4/19/2021, 4:52 AM
It'll be the same but better written and acted.
Nightwing1015
Nightwing1015 - 4/19/2021, 5:46 AM
@marvel72 - It'll be hard to be better acted than Gotham. Cast was amazing. So many good choices.
DarkDetective
DarkDetective - 4/19/2021, 7:00 AM
@Nightwing1015 - lol i hope ur being sarcastic
dagenspear
dagenspear - 4/19/2021, 10:39 AM
@DarkDetective - Why?
Nightwing1015
Nightwing1015 - 4/19/2021, 12:10 PM
@DarkDetective - How? One of the things people agree on was that the cast were impressive.

Harvey Dent was well cast
Alfred was great
Catwoman was also good
Ra's was perfect
And Riddler and Penguin were brilliant too!
DarkDetective
DarkDetective - 4/19/2021, 1:16 PM
@Nightwing1015 - Maybe the actors were good but the writing was some Power Rangers level stuff. Tho Cameron Monaghan (or however its spelled) was too good for that show.
Nightwing1015
Nightwing1015 - 4/19/2021, 1:25 PM
@DarkDetective - True the writing wasn't at the same level
CanadaMan
CanadaMan - 4/19/2021, 5:27 AM
Anybody commenting that this show is the same obviously hasn’t read any of the articles that came out about it before this. It’s literally set during Bruce’s FIRST YEAR AS BATMAN, ya numb nuts. So I’d say it’s going to be a little different than “The Wacko Jim Gordon and Bat-Kid Hour” that was Fox’s Gotham. Holy Lord, as a Batman fan through and through, I hated that series with a passion that will never die. Any fan who respects the material should not enjoy that show AND should be looking forward to this take on it instead - I have the utmost faith in Reeves, Barton, and co. to produce something that looks, sounds, and feels waaaaay more refined, less melodramatic, and more in line with what Gotham should have been (except now, we get to tie it into what I’m hoping will be a kickass main series of films - at least a trilogy 🦇🦇🦇).
Nightwing1015
Nightwing1015 - 4/19/2021, 5:44 AM
"Copaganda"

LMAO, if there's any show that WON'T represent the police in a positive light it's a Batman show. Remember than like 80% of the GCPD cops on Gotham were crooked.
clornelas
clornelas - 4/19/2021, 8:35 AM
I might be crazy for saying this, but maybe just make one good coherent movie first, then worry about spinning off of it.
Tufasrox
Tufasrox - 4/19/2021, 5:03 PM
I am obviously going to see The Batman...BUT...I'm also getting pretty damn tired of the grounded take of Batman. Going forward I hope they bring in more characters that are more fan-favs like Ivy, Clayface, Solomon Grundy, even some cameos/ tag teams with John C, Zatanna, etc. that would be unique at this point.
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