The Batman spinoff TV series has lost its showrunner. The HBO Max series will be a prequel to Matt Reeves' movie, with the show centring the corrupt Gotham City Police Department, or GCPD. Terence Winter was set to act as showrunner for the series, and, considering he created Boardwalk Empire and wrote/produced The Sopranos, he seemed an excellent choice.
Unfortunately, The Hollywood Reporter now reports that Winter is leaving the series due to creative differences with the streamer and Reeves. Sure, it's a blow for the spinoff, but, with the project so early in development, a rearrange personnel now is better than a departure late in the day.
The Batman was due to release in October 2021 but has been delayed until 2022 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The movie will show the titular vigilante in his second year as a crime-fighter, with the HBO Max series set to take place during his first year and has the working title Gotham Central – which is also the name of Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka and Michael Lark’s comic book series about the GCPD.
While we still have a while to wait for The Batman, we do know that it will also examine Gotham's corruption – and, from the glimpses we’ve caught of the set so far, as well as the FanDome trailer, it looks like we’re in for something special. Alongside the caped crusader, played by Robert Pattinson, we’ll also be seeing Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman and an unrecognisable Colin Farrell as the Penguin.
