With the arrival of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom as one of the final 2023 movie releases, the DC Extended Universe era will come to an end, and from the ashes will rise the new DC Universe’s Chapter One slate. In the midst of this though, Matt Reeves’ The Batman saga, which takes place in its own universe, will continue running, with The Batman: Part II set to arrive in late 2025 and the spinoff TV show The Penguin headed to Max subscribers sometime in 2024. However, DC Studios co-president James Gunn has now revealed that Reeves is also contributing to the DC Universe, and I’m honestly surprised how it’s happening.
Those of you who’ve been following along with the goings on of The Batman saga will recall that in March 2022, the same time Robert Pattinson’s debut as the Caped Crusader was released, Reeves revealed that he was putting together an upcoming DC TV show about Arkham Asylum, the institution where many of Batman’s villains are incarcerated. Naturally it was assumed that this Arkham show would take place in The Batman world, but that’s not the case at all, with Gunn telling a fan on Threads who mentioned the series while inquiring about if Reeves had any other “Batverse” projects in the works:
Right now Matt is producing Arkham as a DCU series, so there’s just the two for now.
Well that’s quite the curveball. Given that The Batman easily laid the groundwork for an Arkham show by having Paul Dano’s Riddler locked up there and quickly making friends with Barry Keoghan’s Joker, I’m taken aback learning that this upcoming Batman TV show won’t have anything to do with those characters, but instead take place within the DC Universe. It’s likely this was a creative pivot that occurred sometime after The Batman’s release rather than the plan the entire time, though I’d be curious to learn how this decision was reached. I’m also wondering if Gunn’s use of “for now” means that another series tied to The Batman could be announced at some point, or if the pause button has been indefinitely been paused on such projects.
The only major detail concerning this Arkham Asylum show that’s been shared with the public is that Antonio Campos, creator of the Max miniseries The Staircase, will serve as showrunner, per Variety. However, now that we know this series will take place within the DC Universe, that means it will be connected to the Andy Muschietti-directed The Brave and the Bold. That upcoming Batman movie will see Bruce Wayne teaming up with his son, Damian Wayne, but it hasn’t been announced yet who will play those characters.
Creature Commandos, Waller, Lanterns, Paradise Lost, Booster Gold and Peacemaker Season 2 are the other confirmed TV shows set in the DC Universe, and there will surely be more to follow. Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for updates on their progress, and be sure to learn what upcoming DC movies are officially lined up.
