While Matt Reeves’ Batman Epic Crime Saga is expanding with the latest addition of Colin Farrell’s show The Penguin, there was a plan for a few more series, primarily The Batman spinoff series centered on the Gotham police department was getting traction with Reeves joining The Sopranos executive producer, Terence Winter to develop the project. However, the show was eventually shelved. Recently, Winter revealed the details of the show that was planned before the release of Robert Pattinson’s The Batman.
Terence Winter Revealed Details of DC’s Canceled Show
Terence Winter recently had a chat with The Playlist’s Bingeworthy podcast revealing his involvement in the Gotham City PD show that was eventually shelved. Winter, who has also served as one of the writers of Tulsa King, shared that Reeves did not like the ideas on the table, and eventually, Winter, who created Boardwalk Empire, departed from the project just a few months after the show’s announcement.
“The idea was that we were going to do a 1970s cop show— something that felt like Sidney Lumet’s 1981 crime and police drama ‘Prince of the City,’ but in the Gotham City Police Department,” Winter shared.
“It was going to have that [‘70s] feel. It was going to be a present-day cop who is like a third-generation Gotham City cop, you know, his grandfather, his dad, and, you know, and Gotham City was largely corrupt. And this is the guy we meet in the present day who’s realizing that he’s kind of on the wrong side. The Batman was somebody that lived in that world, but you never really saw him. And it was really all about the police department and sort of this guy.”
However, the writer said, Reeves was looking for another direction for the series to take. Following Winter’s exit, Joe Barton joined the project but eventually, it crumbled.
Creative Syncing Was Missing Between Matt Reeves And Terence Winter
Despite his effort and hard work, Winter has no complaints about his ideas not syncing with Reeves. He acknowledged that it was the idea of The Batman director and it had to go with his desired vision. “And, you know, that’s great, good for them. ‘Like I said, you know, it was Matt’s idea originally, and, you know, more power to [him]. Sometimes, you’re in sync creatively; sometimes, you’re not,” Winter said in the podcast.
“Or you get off on the wrong foot thinking, ‘Oh, we should do this and go, Oh, you know what, this is just not really working.’ Also, because there was Gotham, the show Gotham certainly took place in New York City, in the Gotham City Police Department, rather. [It] kind of stepped on the toes of our idea a little bit, even though ours was going to be totally very different. I think Penguin is great. I agree with you. I think they did a great job,” he added.
Previously, Reeves explained the reason behind canceling Gotham PD and another show that would be centered on Arkham Asylum. “They were like, ‘We like what you’re doing, and we want to lean harder into the marquee characters,’” Reeves told Entertainment Weekly. Although both the shows were scrapped, Colin Farrell who played Oswald Cobblepot in The Batman got his solo show titled The Penguin which is now showing on Max and received wide positive reception from fans.
As for the Batman Epic Crime Saga, Matt Reeves’ Batman 2 has been confirmed but details of the development of the project is under wraps.
