Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Batman.
Although Matt Reeves helmed The Batman as a standalone piece, now that it’s become a blockbuster success, the franchise expansion can begin. According to Entertainment Weekly, The Batman is planned as the first chapter in a Batman-centric cinematic universe separate from the DCEU.
There are a few spin-offs in development, from a Penguin series to an Arkham Asylum series, but that’s just the beginning. There are plenty of other spin-off opportunities, like a Zoë Kravitz-led Catwoman solo movie or a Jim Gordon police procedural.
2 Confirmed
The Batman 2
Following the massive box office success of The Batman, a sequel is officially in development at Warner Bros. On the press tour for this movie, Reeves has namedropped a couple of villains he’d be interested in adapting for the sequel.
According to Collider, he’s interested in grounding Mr. Freeze in reality: “I think there’s actually a grounded version of that story, which could be really powerful and could be really great.” He also told Twitter Movies, “I think Hush is a really interesting one to do.”
The Batman 3
Since The Batman is intended to be the first movie in a trilogy, Warner Bros. actually has two sequels in development. Reeves is taking the trilogy one story at a time, but the second movie will lead into a third movie.
According to Den of Geek, Pattinson has named a couple of villains he’d like to face in the upcoming sequels: Calendar Man, a killer obsessed with dates and holidays, and the Court of Owls, a secret society running Gotham from the shadows.
The Penguin
According to Deadline, between The Batman and its first sequel, Colin Farrell will star in and executive-produce a Penguin spin-off series. Reeves will also serve as an executive producer, while Lauren LeFranc has been hired as the showrunner.
The series will chart the Penguin’s rise through Gotham’s criminal underworld. Reeves has named the classic gangster movies Scarface and The Long Good Friday as influences on the series. The show has been picked up for a full season at HBO Max.
Arkham Asylum Series
According to Variety, a second Batman spin-off series is in development at HBO Max. This show originally revolved around the G.C.P.D., but that project was put on hold due to creative disagreements with the streamer.
Instead, the project has been retooled as a horror series set in Arkham Asylum. Arkham will be depicted as a sort of haunted house and the series will explore the origins of its patients.
1 Should Get Made
A Zoë Kravitz Catwoman Solo Movie
2004’s Catwoman is one of the most critically panned comic book movies of all time, but it was wildly unfaithful to the source material. The character played by Halle Berry isn’t even called Selina Kyle; her name is Patience Phillips. Catwoman deserves a second chance at a solo film.
Zoë Kravitz’s sympathetic, relatable antihero from The Batman is perfect for a solo movie. Kravitz gave Selina more depth than straightforward villainous portrayals of Catwoman, which is worth exploring in her own movie. Batman is an outsider, but Selina has the inside track on Gotham’s criminal underworld. Her solo adventures could introduce audiences to a whole new side of the city.
Batman & Robin
Now that Pattinson’s Batman has been established and he’s becoming a more experienced crimefighter, it would be great to see Robin in this incarnation of the Bat-verse.
After repeated let-downs, this gritty, grounded universe could finally do the character justice. Like Aquaman, Robin is a laughingstock with the potential to become a fan-favorite icon in the hands of the right actor and filmmaker.
A Police Procedural Starring Jeffrey Wright’s Jim Gordon
HBO Max reportedly objected to the proposed G.C.P.D. series because its protagonist was a corrupt cop. A police procedural set in this Gotham City could still work with a different central protagonist: Jeffrey Wright’s Jim Gordon. Gotham was already a police procedural told from Gordon’s perspective, but the series was far from perfect.
Wright’s Gordon is a fresh take on the character and Reeves’ Gotham is a radical reinvention of the familiar setting inspired by 1970s neo-noirs. Both could be explored in more depth in a grisly streaming series that brings the gore and darkness of Se7en to the well-worn police procedural genre.
Injustice League
Although he’s credited as “Unseen Arkham Prisoner,” Barry Keoghan’s twisted grin and maniacal chuckle would suggest he’s playing the Joker in this universe.
In his introduction in The Batman, Keoghan’s Joker asks the Riddler to be his “friend,” and the Riddler accepts. This could be setting up an Injustice League in this universe as the Joker amasses a team of Batman villains to take on the Bat.
Two-Face
The Batman’s version of Gotham is teeming with corrupt politicians taking kickbacks from the mob. This is the perfect setting for a Joker-style R-rated Two-Face movie about Harvey Dent’s tragic journey from Gotham’s “white knight” to one of its most notorious criminals.
In keeping with the ‘70s vibes of Reeves’ style in The Batman, a Two-Face movie could be framed as a paranoid political drama like All the President’s Men.
The Dark Knight Returns
Since the new Batman just started his on-screen arc and he’s still in the first couple of years of fighting crime, this would be a while away. But, somewhere down the line, Pattinson’s Batman and the grounded Gotham he inhabits would be perfect for a proper adaptation of The Dark Knight Returns.
Frank Miller’s gritty, revisionist tone has inspired a bunch of the best Batman movies (including this one), but his iconic story of a grizzled, aging Batman has yet to be adapted as a live-action movie.
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Author: Ben Sherlock
