While I was behind the idea of Gotham before it came out (and really disliked it by the end of the first season to the point of dropping it), there really is a problem in the way that DC/WB simply can’t get a Batman TV series out there, or a Superman one, because of the film side of things – which is in disarray. So while I like the idea I can’t get all that enthused that Epix has given a straight to series order for Pennyworth for ten episodes that focuses on our favorite butler. As we’ve seen throughout the character’s history and alternate timeline material, there is a rich history to be had here (think Master Keaton for my manga friends) in how it could be handled. Production will begin later this year, with a series premiere slated for 2019 with Bruno Heller and Danny Cannon from Gotham serving as showrunners. It’s not a spinoff of that series but its own thing.
Said Michael Wright, President, EPIX, “As genuine fans of these classic DC characters, as well as the incredibly talented Bruno Heller and Danny Cannon, we couldn’t be more excited to make EPIX the home of this series. We can’t wait to work with Bruno and Danny—along with Peter Roth, Susan Rovner, Brett Paul and the team at Warner Horizon—on this fantastic origin story.”
Plot Concept: Pennyworth is based on DC characters created by Bob Kane with Bill Finger. It follows Bruce Wayne’s legendary butler, Alfred Pennyworth, a former British SAS soldier who forms a security company and goes to work with Thomas Wayne, Bruce’s billionaire father, in 1960’s London.
[Source: DC Comics]
