I’ve just put out an article about what’s happening with TV shows based in the DCU universe under the direction of James Gunn and Peter Safran and now it seems we have a few small details about shows based in The Batman’s universe, overseen by Matt Reeves and sadly, it’s not good news.
While there’s no doubt having two distinct DC universes co-existing at the same time must be a bit of a hassle, but there’s no question they’re very distinct entities.
However, it seems that there might be issues with Reeves’ universe, as three shows may be under the axe at DC/Warners.
When Reeves’ The Batman hit cinemas in 2022, it felt like it was a brave new day for Batman and a new universe was about to unfold.
Matt Reeves confirms they’re developing The Batman Part 2 and The Penguin season 2
Around the movie, we’ve had a young adult novel, a superb Riddler comic series and then the hit HBO mini-series The Penguin with Colin Farrell returning as the titular villain whom we first met in The Batman and introducing Cristin Milioti’s Sofi Falcone, the breakout of the show, and it was, frankly, superb- maybe even better than the movie that spawned them.
We’ve heard several times since that season two was coming, and back in December 2024, The Batman writer and director Matt Reeves revealed they’re trying to find a way to bring Penguin and Gotham back for season 2: “We’re talking to [showrunner] Lauren [LeFranc] about doing another season. That was a special experience. I just feel really fortunate. These characters don’t belong to me; they belong to the world. It comes down to whether you can approach them in a way that expresses something personal.”
We break down the status of every DCU TV show and if they’re still happening
Then early last year, Reeves doubled down, saying: “Our plan and our hope is to absolutely do another season; we just have to come up with the idea that we think is the right idea, which is what we’re working on.”
In fact, word on the Gotham grapevine was that other spinoffs were at the planning stage too. And if you recall, The Penguin may have even stealthily introduced The Scarecrow into the mix.
However, it now seems that season 2 of The Penguin is reportedly no longer moving forward at HBO.
Is Scarecrow in The Penguin series, hidden in plain sight? Well, yes…
Not only is this devastating news, but it seems that yes, other shows WERE in development and are also scrapped. First up, it looks like Zoe Kravitz’s Catwoman/Selina Kyle was set to get a series of her own, and if you recall, it was set up at the end of The Penguin that Selina and Milioti’s Sofi Falcone were possibly set for an adventure all of their own… is this what the Catwoman series would have been?
On top of this, it seems a Poison Ivy series was in development too and is also now dead in the water. While there seems to be some confusion over this one – was it part of the DCU or Reeves’ Batman universe? – I have heard for a while that Ivy/Pamela Isley may feature in The Batman Part II, which is now filming, and could even be who Scarlett Johansson is playing; in this world, Ivy wouldn’t control giant plants and vines like in the comics, but rather uses plants and herbs to create poisons that can kill or control people. If this is true, then the Ivy series would have been set in The Batman’s world.
There’s a good chance that a lot of this is a result of the ongoing merger of Warner Bros and Paramount but hopefully it also means these aren’t lost forever and someday we may yet see The Batman universe expanded. However, I can’t help but feel that maybe when The Batman II is done, we’ll be lucky if we get a third entry and then Batman will be firmly focused on in Gunn and Safran’s DCU.
Marc
Marc is a self-confessed nerd. Ever since seeing Star Wars for the first time around 1979 he’s been an unapologetic fan of the Wars and still believes, with Clone Wars and now Underworld, we are yet to see the best Star Wars. He’s a dad of two who now doesn’t have the time (or money) to collect the amount of toys, comics, movies and books he once did, much to the relief of his long-suffering wife. In the real world he’s a graphic designer. He started Following the Nerd because he was tired of searching a million sites every day for all the best news that he loves and decided to create one place where you can go to get the whole lot. Secretly he longs to be sitting in the cockpit of his YT-1300 Corellian Transport ship with his co-pilot Chewie, roaming the universe, waiting for his next big adventure, but feels just at home watching cartoons with his kids….
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