For the better part of four years, Matt Reeves has been fleshing out his Batman universe. Starting with The Batman, the director is expanding it with a sequel and, first, a Max series continuing the saga of The Penguin in the underworld
He has had more than that planned. A police drama about corruption within Gotham’s precincts was in the works but was later shelved in favor of a show about Arkham.
In an interesting twist, Reeves’ Arkham story develops further by going in a surprising direction. If the media is on the right track with what James Gunn is saying, the Arkham series is being folded into the prime DCU continuity rather than an Elseworlds tributary.
Gunn, the chief creative force at DC Studios, was asked what else Reeves is developing beyond his currently announced Batverse projects. “Right now Matt is producing Arkham as a DCU series, so there’s just the two for now,” he responded on Threads.
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When another user checked for clarification, Gunn confirmed, “Yes. We love Matt as a director and producer so he’ll be producing stories both within his The Batman universe and within the DCU.”
Furthermore, he added a bigger wrinkle. This was the plan for Arkham all along. “It was one of the first pitches we bought when Peter and I came onboard. I don’t know the permutations it went through before that time,” Gunn soon explained.
So it could be that Arkham is explored to build on the Bat-Family mythos we are to see in The Brave and The Bold, the chapter in Gunn’s “Of Gods And Monsters” DCU phase to be directed by Andy Muschietti.
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Wait and see there, but meanwhile, the news of Reeves and Arkham’s addition to the DCU is seen as a prediction fulfilled by at least one noteworthy outlet.
Cosmic Book News declared a DC scoop from 2019 confirmed. At the time, sources told the site DC was being rebooted by Reeves, Gunn, and the polarizing nominee of JJ Abrams.
His proposed projects were canned, and Abrams’ role in things is likely nixed and filled by producer and co-president of DC Studios, Peter Safran.