The GCPD show could have been something special! Terence Winter reveals details about his cancelled spin-off for The Batman universe.
When it was first announced that a GCPD spin-off was being developed for The Batman, many fans were left scratching their heads. Gotham had only ended its five year run a few years prior, and it was hard to imagine how the project could have felt different enough to feel justified. Yet according to writer Terence Winter, the series would have had a tone never seen before in the franchise.
“The idea was that we were going to do a 1970s cop show – something that felt like Prince of the City but in the Gotham City Police Department,” Winter spoke during a recent interview on the Bingeworthy podcast. “It was going to have that [’70s] feel. It was going to be a present day cop who is like a third generation Gotham City cop, his grandfather, his dad, and Gotham City was largely corrupt.”
“And this is our guy who we meet in the present day, who’s realizing that he’s kind of on the wrong side. The Batman was somebody that kind of lived in that world, but you never really saw him. And it was really all about the police department and sort of this guy.”
That description for the GCPD show is certainly enough to raise eyebrows. Although it does share rather similar DNA with another spin-off of The Batman in The Penguin, which is also heavily focused on corruption and old school mobster stories. Yet it seems the real death knell for the project wasn’t any creative choice, but rather a difference in taste.
Why The Batman’s GCPD Spin-Off Was Cancelled
With a premise that Terence Winter seems to be so passionate about, it may seem odd that the GCPD spin-off was ultimately abandoned by the writer. However, it seems Winter made the choice to step back from the project after he saw the writing on the wall, revealing that his departure aligned with The Batman director Matt Reeves simply not feeling the project.
“And I worked on it for a while. And ultimately, you know, Matt wasn’t feeling it. And I left; I know they brought in another guy after me. I can’t remember his name, the guy who did Tokyo Vice. He worked for a while on it, but that didn’t go anywhere. I have no idea what he did. And then I read about The Penguin. And, you know, that’s great, good for them. Like I said, you know, it was Matt’s idea originally, and, you know, more power to [him].”
“Sometimes, you’re in sync creatively; sometimes, you’re not. Or you get off on the wrong foot thinking, ‘Oh, we should do this and go, Oh, you know what, this is just not really working.’ Also, because there was Gotham, the show Gotham certainly took place in New York City, in the Gotham City Police Department, rather. [It] kind of stepped on the toes of our idea a little bit, even though ours was going to be totally very different. I think Penguin is great. I agree with you. I think they did a great job.”
While it’s a shame that Terence Winter never got to bring his GCPD show to life in the world of The Batman, it wasn’t the only spin-off in development. It’s been confirmed that at least one more series will be coming to the franchise after the success of The Penguin. While nothing has been confirmed, statements by Matt Reeves and co. have heavily suggested that the project will be focused on Harvey Dent, aka Two-Face.
The Penguin is streaming now on HBO. Stay tuned for the latest news regarding Matt Reeves’ The Batman universe and make sure to stay tuned to our YouTube channel for more content.
