If you didn’t already label the fictional city of Gotham as dark, bleak, and rather unwelcoming, then the upcoming Gotham PD will make it abundantly clear. Joe Barton’s prequel series to Matt Reeves’ The Batman will extend a new, grittier branch within the DC Universe, but how different will it be to the five seasons of Fox’s Gotham?
Gotham PD will serve as an HBO Max spin-off show to The Batman, the latter of which is due to release in March, 2022. Reeves’ project wrapped filming last month, presumably opening up Jeffrey Wright’s schedule to star in the series centering around his character. James Gordon will head up investigations within the police department once again, however Wright’s name remains unattached to the show for now. Gotham PD’s promotion as a prequel sparked confusion within the DC fandom over its differences to Fox’s 2014 series, but Barton was on hand to offer some reassuring words.
The showrunner was asked on Twitter how different Gotham PD will be to Fox’s show - which got cancelled in 2019. Barton replied simply with “very different”, which came as no surprise to onlookers, but he was also asked if the prequel would go on to inspire future sequels to The Batman. Despite Barton failing to address this point, Gotham PD will no doubt spawn other chapters within this newly carved corner of the DC Universe, and its tone is set to follow that of The Batman.
Fox’s Gotham - developed by Bruno Heller - carried a lighter tone in line with The CW’s pocket of shows, but never produced further spin-offs. Furthermore, Heller’s respectable adaptation featured a much younger Gordon working alongside Harvey Bullock, and it is unknown whether Barton will delve that far back. Reeves, however, touched on the show’s premise during the DC FanDome event last year, alluding to the show’s exploration of the Gotham City Police Department’s corrupt side.
Gotham PD will notably act as the first spin-off within an independent mini-verse, established by The Batman, which we now know is set on Earth-2. Existing within this alternate timeline allows Reeves’ feature, the prequel show, and any subsequent spin-off projects to stand separately from other adaptations gone before. Earth-2’s timeline may also welcome J.J. Abrams’ rumored Superman reboot, allowing these character variants to co-exist with, most recently, Zack Snyder’s interpretations.
Uncertainty may surround the future of the DC Universe for now, but its development is intriguing nonetheless, and DC also has a new game on the way without the presence of the Caped Crusader. Gotham Knights received a delay until 2022 after being announced at the DC FanDome event, which will offer Robin, Red Hood, Batgirl, and Nightwing as your playable heroes.
