Director Antonio Campos has set his sights on the fictional world of Gotham after bringing the true-crime story of Michael Peterson to life in the short drama series The Staircase on HBO Max. According to an exclusive report from Variety, Campos has been hired as the new showrunner for Arkham Asylum, one of two Batman spin-offs being developed by Matt Reeves. If Campos’s show concept is approved by DC Studios, he will not only act as creator but also as executive producer and director. The series title refers to Arkham Asylum, the facility that houses some of Gotham City’s most notorious criminals.
However, Reeves has previously characterised the show as “a horror movie or a haunted home,” so fans may get a sense of what to expect even though the narrative elements are still under wraps. Since the show’s artistic direction hasn’t been set in stone just yet, there may not even be a solid storyline in the works. Since it was first stated in 2020 that the series would be produced, it has gone through various changes in tone and style. Campos is the third person to be enlisted as the show’s executor.
Terence Winter was first confirmed as the showrunner for the spin-off, and the working title was “Gotham City P.D.”, suggesting that the series would centre on the Gotham City Police Department. Winter left the programme due to creative disagreements, and his replacement, Joe Barton, also left the show. Variety reports that a spinoff series on the Gotham City Police Department is in the works. Since Campos has already worked on DC’s archrival Marvel’s The Punisher, he should feel well at home with the superhero genre. Campos directed the eighth episode of the first season of the Netflix drama centred on the titular anti-hero. His first feature-length film, Afterschool, had its world premiere at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival.
The police procedural series The Sinner, directed by Campos, was picked up for a full season by the USA Network and ran for four seasons, during which time its star, Jessica Biel, was nominated for both a Golden Globe and an Emmy. He has appeared in films such as “Simon Killer,” “Christine,” and “The Devil All the Time,” which starred Robert Pattinson and Tom Holland. The Staircase, a miniseries directed by Campos, has a 95% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is his most well-known production. Co-stars Colin Firth and Toni Collette were nominated for Emmys for their work on the show. The Penguin, which will depict the backstory of Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin and include Colin Farrell in his return to the role, and Arkham Asylum are the two Batman spin-off shows currently in production. Reeves’ 6th & Idaho brand, which also includes Dylan Clark and Rafi Crohn, will produce the series.