Joe Barton (Writer, Our Worlds War) has recently taken the helm of HBO Max’s new The Batman series as showrunner after Terence Winter has withdrawn, according to Deadline. Barton has established himself in the industry as an experienced writer specifically due to his background of including gripping action and horror into his work .
Barton wrote the cult classic Netflix horror film The Ritual which focused on four friends surviving the dangers of dark creatures in the dense woods of Sweden. The film displays Barton’s ability to build tension and engage the audience in a compelling mystery. These are fitting thematic elements for constructing a series on Batman because a large part of his character revolves around psychosis and fear. Barton will be able to use his skills as a writer to craft a unique story and possibly add elements of horror writing into the series as Batman takes out groups of thugs from the shadows.
The series will be set before Matt Reeves (Director, Dawn of The Planet of The Apes) The Batman film starring Robert Pattinson (Neil, Tenet) and explore the corruption inside Gotham City and its police department. The show will be told from the point of view from a dirty cop and is set just when Batman starts making waves in Gotham as a vigilante. “The series is a prequel to his Batman Year Two movie, with the show set in Batman Year One when a “masked vigilante … starts to unsettle the city,” Reeves stated according to Deadline.
As a companion series, HBO Max’s The Batman series will offer interesting plot points for its viewers, explaining how criminals transitioned from being average citizens to being the legendary villains in Batman’s rogue gallery. The show has potential to explore and explain elements that the film introduces and expand the lore for Batman fans old and new.