HBO Max's The Batman  TV show will be what a lot of fans initially wanted FOX's Gotham  to be. The latest cinematic take on Batman features Robert Pattinson portraying DC's infamous Dark Knight. The film is was actually set to debut much earlier; however, amidst the global pandemic, Matt Reeves' film was pushed back from 2021 to 2022. But unlike previous Batman movies, the reboot takes it to a new level as a franchise. Even before The Batman hit theaters, Reeves announced that he's bringing his Batman universe to the small screen in the form of a Gotham P.D.-related show. That being said, the most recent updates claim that production forGotham P.D.has been put on hold asThe BatmanTV show wants to take a deeper look into the horrors of Arkham Asylum.

The Batman TV show, which has been referred to as Gotham Central, Gotham P.D.andArkham Asylum, is in development for HBO Max and is a big deal for DC's cinematic history. This is the first time that a DC film is branching off and launching spinoffs in the form of TV shows. While Terence Winter was attached initially as the showrunner and executive producer, he departed the project due to creative differences. Even though production is currently on hold, The Batman TV show has gotten a lot of attention due to it being revealed to be in the works only a year after FOX's Gotham ended.

However, the two Batman-related TV shows are still vastly different from one another, despite heavily focusing on the city of Gotham and its Arkham Asylum inmates whole. While the FOX series followed Gordon as the central character, it was partially a Batman origin story. The prequel show took place in a world where the Caped Crusader had yet arrived as its ultimate protector and was witnessing the further corruption of Gotham City. The Batman TV show, however, will take place in a universe where Bruce has been operating as Batman for one year, officially taking place before the 2022 film.

The Batman TVSpinoff Show Fixes Gotham's Mistakes

Gotham-PD-HBO-Max-FOX-Gotham

Originally,The BatmanTV showGotham Central would follow the Gotham City PD as they're just beginning to learn about the Dark Knight without Robert Pattinson's character necessarily showing up on-screen. That is a new angle that hasn't been explored much before and, quite frankly, what Gotham fans wanted their show to be at the start. With the latest news ofGotham Centralbeing changed to Arkham Asylum,The BatmanTV show will no doubt still focus on the Gotham P.D.'s efforts to keep the city under control, but it will most likely zero in on Batman's infamous villains.Gotham season 1 was the only season where the GCPD had more focus than the super-villains. In the following seasons, several of Batman's future iconic foes became the driving force of the series while following Bruce's path to discovering his inner hero. It's imperative to point out that it doesn't negate any of the success that Gotham had as a Batman-related TV show. However, with the focus and tone that Matt Reeves used inThe Batman, it's clear that the spinoff will pay closer attention to the true darkness that lurks in Gotham city.

How The Batman Sets Up The HBO Max TV Show

Bruce Wayne speaking with the mayoral candidate in The Batman

The Batmansets up the new HBO Max series in a number of ways. First, it establishes the gritty realistic tone that's necessary for the subject matter. Arkham Asylum isn't a nice place by any standard of the imagination and there's no doubt that the noir/crime-drama aesthetics will only enhance the horrors that inmates inflict on one another and the Asylum's treatment of Gotham's most wanted in general. Second,The BatmanTV show has been opened up to a world of multiple villains all playing a role within the city thanks to Matt Reeves' film, something that Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knighttrilogy failed to do. Finally, the latest Batman movie sets up the television series with the stakes each villain establishes. Paul Dano's Riddler caused huge amounts of destruction to the entirety of Gotham city, whereas previous one-off villains in other Batman TV shows and movies were not as much of a total threat.The Batmanpays better homage to the myriad of comics and videogames that came before it through its portrayal of actually dangerous villains.

Whether or not they'll draw from the Gotham Centralcomic series or theArkham Asylumgraphic novel remains to be seen. But it wouldn't be shocking if they do end up drawing elements from Gotham Central as it became a critically acclaimed series in the entire Batman mythology. Unlike Gotham, The BatmanTV show could now maybe explore other GCPD characters such as Renée Montoya and Crispus Allen, as well as more of Batman's interesting villains that haven't gotten any screentime. The idea of a Batman-connected show that is set in the same world as The Batman universe is exciting and has a platform that is perhaps more suited to explore the inner (and darker) workings of the GCPD and Arkham Asylum more than maybe FOX's Gotham could.

Next: All 18 DC TV Shows Releasing After The Batman