One Of The Batman Spin-Off Shows Is Officially Dead At DC Studios

One of the planned spin-offs set in "The Batman" universe is dead in the water at DC Studios — at least for now. And even if the project somehow comes back to life, it almost certainly won't resemble what had been in development for several years. The project in question is the Arkham Asylum-set TV series, which was first revealed in 2022. As appealing as that idea may have been, fans need to let it go.

In a recent interview on the BobaTalks YouTube channel, DC Studios co-head and "Superman" director James Gunn addressed the untitled Arkham show that has been in and out of development for some time. The idea was for the show to explore Gotham City's famed prison for its worst criminals, all within the universe Matt Reeves established in "The Batman." However, Gunn made it clear the series is DOA for the time being.

"Hope? Sure," Gunn said when asked if there was any hope for the Arkham Asylum TV show, but hope seems to be a relative term here. As Gunn further elaborated:

"That isn't something that is being developed by anyone right now. It just didn't work."

After several speed bumps in the development process, Antonio Campos ("The Staircase") was tapped to be the showrunner for the Arkham Asylum show. The series itself evolved out of a scrapped idea for a Gotham P.D. show, which was at one point going to hail from Terence Winter ("Boardwalk Empire"). It's one of those shows that seemed trapped in development hell, evolving too much for its own good along the way. Now, as Gunn and DC Studios co-head Peter Safran look to build out the new DC Universe, this show has fallen by the wayside. Pour one out.

It's easy to see why Arkham Asylum is an appealing setting for a TV show — or a movie, for that matter. It's home to Gotham's most criminally insane, with both Paul Dano's Riddler and Barry Keoghan's Joker locked up there by the end of "The Batman." It's a rich area, particularly in light of the wild success that "The Penguin" enjoyed on HBO.

That said, the new DC Universe is going to have a Batman who isn't Robert Pattinson, with the Reeves-verse existing as its own universe. As far as Gunn or anyone else has said publicly, Pattinson won't be brought over to the DCU. In that way, an Arkham Asylum show does seem like a lot to chew on right now. Introducing those villains and exploring them on screen in a separate universe might put a hitch in the plans for the larger, shared universe. Why have two versions of the Joker running around unnecessarily?

Still, it does feel like diving deep into Arkham Asylum, at some point, could make for a great addition to the DC Universe. Ben Affleck's version of "The Batman" was going to take place inside of Arkham before it was scrapped. For many fans of the Caped Crusader of the a certain age, there's also the "Batman: Arkham" video games, which seem like outstanding fuel for a live-action story, bot to mention Grant Morrison and Dave McKean's 1989 comic series "Batman: Arkham Asylum."

There is much to explore inside of those hallowed halls, and it feels inevitable that the DCU will wind up there at some point. It just won't be within the confines of this particular TV show.

"The Batman: Part II" is currently set to hit theaters on October 1, 2027.