One of the hallmarks of efforts to kick start a DC Cinematic Universe was the feeling that they were just making it up as they went along. No plan, no real timeline. Just throw any old crap at the wall and see what sticks. That is why the DCEU ultimately failed.
There was hope they may finally get things under control when James Gunn and Peter Safran came in with free reign to shape the new DCU.
However, at the end of the day this is all still attached to Warner Bros. We all know how chaotic things can be over there, with a reputation for their suits being the ultimate tinkering interferers with the creative side.
So we end up with a 3 hr long Batman epic, starring one of Hollywood’s hottest young actors, that is not even attached to the DCU. This Batman, from Matt Reeves, then seemed to be getting it’s own Bat-verse to add to the confusion, in the form of The Penguin and Gotham PD. These spin-offs were set for streaming service Max.
Then Gotham PD went through several creative resets at DC Studios. Showrunners and writers came and went. It somehow then morphed into Arkham Asylum, a show to be set in Gotham’s infamous facility for the criminally insane.
Antonio Campos had come onboard to serve as writer and showrunner of the series. Before this, Terrence Winter was attached to write and executive produce, but he left the project due to creative differences. “
Giri/Haji creator Joe Barton was then brought in as yet another writer. He then left, to be replaced by Campos. It was here it changed to be Arkham Asylum.
Now, even as The Penguin prepares to debut in September, but a sequel to The Batman is delayed yet again, comes news from Variety that this version will not proceed and the show is effectively cancelled.
Meanwhile, the clown show will become even more confusing sometime next year as a completely different Batman spins up to introduce that character into the DCU that is about to be kick-started by James Gunn’s Superman.
Clear as mud at DC, as always.