The Batman director Matt Reeves is igniting the imagination of comic book fans, promising what he calls an extended “Batverse” of possible spinoff franchises set in the same world as his version of Gotham, but entirely distinct from the so-called DC Extended Universe in which Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Wonder Woman, and Peacemaker take place.
Entertainment Weekly noted Reeves will executive produce two spinoffs for HBO that are currently in development: one a drama about the Gotham City Police Department, and the other focused on the Penguin’s rise to power, who in the movie is portrayed by Colin Farrell.
“What I really wanted this movie to do was create a Batverse,” Reeves confirmed, before going on to clarify,
“You don’t do a story and go, ‘This is Chapter 1’ because you might not get to do Chapter 2. So, the story had to stand on its own. But the thing about it is that the Bat world is so rich with character that as you’re starting to come to an end, you can already start thinking about the next thing. Because the idea, of course, is that Gotham’s story never ends.”
Zoë Kravitz’ Catwoman could also get her own project, though that’s not currently in development like the other two.
During a separate interview at a recent press round table (via ComicBook), Reeves was asked whether Kravitz’ Selina Kyle would be getting her own HBO Max series or movie. While the director said there isn’t currently anything in the works at the moment, he indicated it was still a possibility, in his view. He joked that fans should cajole HBO Max execs for more info.
“You should really talk to the HBO Max reps! I mean, look, what we’re really trying to do is to launch this world. If the world embraces this, we have a lot of ideas we want to do and sure we want Selina to continue. Their relationship and what they are to each other is, to me, that’s the heart of the movie is the push-pull between the two of them and the way that she’s going to evolve and where all of that will go so, we’re talking about a lot of things. Of course, we’re talking about a lot of things but we’re about to release this movie and it really comes down to how people receive it,” Reeves said.
We’ll get our first sense of how rich the world of Reeves’ Gotham is when The Batman swings into theaters March 4.