Arkham Asylum Series Originally Set In ‘The Batman’ Continuity Is Canceled

An incarcerated Riddler (Paul Dano) meets Batman (Robert Pattinson) for the first time in The Batman (2022) via Warner Bros. Pictures
The Riddler (Paul Dano) watches as his plan unfolds in The Batman (2022), Warner Bros. Pictures

The ax – or maybe we should make that ‘The Night’ – has fallen on another project from DC Studios being developed for Max, one that had a short history of ups and downs in the process.

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Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson) learns that The Riddler (Paul Dano) has uploaded a new video in The Batman (2022), Warner Bros. Pictures

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Deadline reports via Variety and Yahoo! that the Arkham Asylum series once connected to The Batman is no more at the streaming service.

At the last call, Antonio Campos (creator of The Staircase for the platform) was tapped as showrunner, executive producer, and director. He inherited the project after it was extracted from The Batman’s continuum and rebranded for the DCU.

Riddler breathe
Riddler (Paul Dano) breathes in after killing The Mayor (Rupert Penry-Jones) in The Batman (2022), Warner Bros. Pictures

The Arkham idea sprung from the film’s director Matt Reeves, who was aiding in the development of the series and looked to expand his “Bat-Verse” further on streaming, but around the rogues and police.

Initially, Reeves was set on making The Penguin, followed by a series centered around the Gotham Police Department and its corruption problem. A bit later, the nugget of the Arkham concept sprouted, but it soon evolved by assimilating the GPD idea. 

So, two shows turned into one until there were none – for now, anyway. Deadline hears there is a chance Arkham Asylum could be revisited in much the same way the Blue Beetle will be in an announced animated project.

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Campos had signed onto the Arkham series when DC Films was still under the management of Walter Hamada, and with the former still attached, Arkham was acquired when James Gunn and producer Peter Safran came aboard as the heads of the revised DC Studios.

Gunn and Safran’s co-opting of the series came as a surprise, causing speculation they are trying to muscle Reeves out of the picture since they have their own Batman in mind through The Brave and The Bold.

The BatMan Joker scene
Batman (Robert Pattinson) seeks Joker’s help in The Batman (2022), Warner Bros. Entertainment

The Batman – Part II’s delay to 2026 added more fuel to that fire, and there’s added fear that the sequel could also be placed in limbo.

NEXT: James Gunn Switches Up His DCU Plans Yet Again, Adds Matt Reeves’ ‘The Batman’ Spin-Off Series ‘Arkham’ To Mainline DCU

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