Arkham Asylum Batman Spinoff Series from Antonio Campos Shelved at Max
Brian Welk
A series set inside the prison Arkham Asylum within Matt Reeves’ “The Batman” universe will no longer move forward for Max, an individual with knowledge of the decision told IndieWire.
Antonio Campos, the director known for “Christine,” “The Devil All the Time,” and the Max series “The Staircase,” was previously tapped to be showrunner and director of the Arkham Asylum series. However, Campos is no longer involved, and his version of the series will not come to pass. The individual says it’s possible a different Arkham Asylum series could still happen down the road, including one set within the universe established by Reeves’ film. But Campos’ version is dead.
A rep for Max had no comment.
Three different writer/directors have been brought onto the Arkham Asylum series dating back to 2020, with Campos joining in 2022 back when the Warner Bros. Discovery streamer was still called HBO Max, and just around the time James Gunn and Peter Safran took over DC Studios. Terence Winter was originally meant to be showrunner for a series called “Gotham City P.D,” but he left in November 2020 over creative differences. Joe Barton then came on board the project, but he left once the story was relocated to Arkham Asylum.
Reeves told Variety in 2022 the Arkham series would emulate the “horror movie” and “haunted house” vibe of the prison and that the project grew out of the initial development from when it was set inside the Gotham P.D.
When Gunn and Safran came aboard, Gunn tweeted that the Arkham series was being developed by Reeves to be set within the new DCU, which is the shared universe that Gunn is looking to establish, starting with his “Superman” filming now. Reeves’ sequel to “The Batman” was also recently delayed until October 2026, back a full year from its prior release date. However, Max will return to “The Batman” universe with “The Penguin,” in which Colin Farrell reprises his role as the Gotham mobster for a series debuting in September.
“The Penguin” will be a Max Original, unlike a recently greenlit series inspired by the Green Lantern that will be branded with the HBO tag, part of a content shift that HBO chief Casey Bloys recently discussed.
Variety first reported the news.
