The cinematic side of the DC Universe is making the jump to TV, and one of the most exciting projects to come out of this transition has to be the upcoming The Batman prequel series centered on the Gotham City Police Department. The show is still in its early days of development, but fans are already hyped about Matt Reeves’ new Batman universe expanding onto the small screen. Unfortunately, five months after being announced, the show has experienced a significant setback.
Terence Winter, who was tapped as writer and showrunner for the GCPD series, has departed the project. According to THR, Winter left the project over creative differences. Winter, whose credits include The Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire, was just recently announced to be developing a Dial M For Murder anthology series. The trade also adds that a search is currently underway for a new showrunner.
The project would have seen Terence Winter working alongside The Batman’s Matt Reeves and producer Dylan Clark, who also serve as producers on the show. With this series, Reeves and his collaborators were hoping to build on his film’s examination of crime in the famous comic book city and bring a number of other complex characters into the fold.
The currently untitled GCPD show takes place within the time period known as “Year One,” the first year in Bruce Wayne’s crimefighting career (and roughly a year before the events of The Batman). However, the show would focus on how law enforcement is handling the presence of a masked vigilante in Gotham City.
What’s even more interesting is that the show is being told from the perspective of a crooked cop, which Gotham is famous for having. Though the story has been described as “a battle for his soul.”
As of right now, there’s been no indication as to whether any characters from the film, like Robert Pattinson's Bruce Wayne, will show up in the project. Though I personally think that, given the cop-centric nature of the show, Jeffrey Wright’s Jim Gordon seems like a shoo-in for the series, in either a regular or recurring capacity.
One thing that can be said is that Matt Reeves has the opportunity to really carve out some unique lore within this new series. Given his love of the Batman character, he and his team will likely stay true to the mythos but, with this continuity and new platform, he can add a few fresh elements to this world as well.
Given Terence Winter's prior work, this is definitely a huge loss for the show, and it remains to be seen who the series will tap to replace him. Hopefully, HBO Max and DC will find someone who can master the source material while expanding on the lore started by DC Comics.
