Deadline reports that Epix has cast actor Jason Flemyng in its upcoming Pennyworth series. He’ll play an antagonist named Lord Harwood on the show. The series follows Alfred Pennyworth in the years before he became the Wayne family butler and Batman’s most trusted confidant.
The Lord Harwood character is described as “cultured, urbane, brilliant and supremely sure of himself.” He also possesses a “sadistic, cruel nature [with] a veneer of charm.” In all seriousness, this same characterization can be applied to just about every James Bond villain. But since the series is set in the 1960s and portrays the young Alfred as a former British SAS agent, this might be exactly what the producers are aiming for.
Flemyng’s Harwood won’t be the only villain giving Alfred a hard time on the show. Just a few weeks back, British pop star Paloma Faith was cast as Bet Sykes. We now have confirmation that Faith’s character will be Harwood’s partner-in-crime. Neither role seems to be based on any existing DC Comics characters.
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The series’ overall premise appears to be taking cues from the Batman: Earth One graphic novels by writer Geoff Johns and artist Gary Frank. Similar to Marvel’s Ultimate Universe, the Earth One line updates DC’s characters for the modern era. In Johns and Frank’s book, Alfred is re-imagined as a one-time Royal Marine who met Thomas Wayne while stationed in the Middle East. Years later, Wayne enlisted Alfred to become his head of security during his mayoral campaign. Tragically, he and his wife, Martha, were gunned down that same night.
Comic fans may recognize Flemyng from playing the teleporting mutant Azazel in 2011’s X-Men: First Class. Azazel is revealed to be Nightcrawler’s father in Marvel’s comic book universe, but this wasn’t made explicit in the films. He also appeared as John Netley in 2001’s From Hell and as Dr. Henry Jekyll/Mr. Hyde in 2003’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Both of those films were based on comics created by writer Alan Moore.
Pennyworth is now in production at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in the UK, with Jack Bannon as Alfred. Other cast members include Ben Aldridge as Thomas Wayne, Ryan Fletcher as Dave Boy, and Hainsley Lloyd Bennett as Bazza.
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