The Arkham Asylum series is no longer happening at Max.
In 2020, HBO Max announced that The Batman’s Matt Reeves was working on a television series about the Gotham Police Department. Reeves then revealed in 2022 that the series had been put on hold. Instead, he said at the time, he was developing a series about Arkham Asylum.
According to a recent report from Variety, the series is no longer moving forward at Max.
“According to an individual with knowledge of the situation, [showrunner Antonio] Campos’ version will not proceed,” Variety’s article states. “It is still possible, though, that a new project set within the infamous Gotham City asylum could be developed in the future, the individual noted.”
What happened with the Arkham Asylum series?
When the series was going to be about the Gotham Police Department, both Terrence Winter and Joe Barton were attached as writers at certain points in time; however, they both ended up leaving the project.
Upon making the announcement that the series would instead be about Arkham Asylum, Reeves described it as a “horror movie or a haunted house that is Arkham.” Campos was officially tapped to serve as the series’ showrunner in October 2022. He was also hired as a director, writer, and executive producer.
The series was presumably originally going to be set in the same world as 2022’s The Batman. DC Studios’ James Gunn, however, said in December 2023 that it was instead going to be set in the forthcoming DCU, which officially kicks off later this year with Creature Commandos.
Even though the Arkham Asylum series may not be happening at this time, the upcoming Batman spin-off starring Colin Farrell, The Penguin, is scheduled to premiere on September 8, 2024. A sequel to The Batman is also in development and is currently expected to be released on October 2, 2026.
