New ‘Pennyworth’ Details Reveal ‘Batman’ Prequel’s Premise
As Gotham races towards its conclusion and the birth of the Dark Knight, executive producer Danny Cannon is looking to the past. At the Television Critics Association’s winter press event he finally shed some light on what audiences can expect from Epix’s Pennyworth.
“It’s twentysomething years before Gotham, it’s a very different world,” Cannon told Deadline and other members of the press today. Starring Jack Bannon (pictured above) as the young Alfred Pennyworth, the 10 episode series is set in a vision 1960s London that’s “13 degrees darker” than anything you might imagine for the swinging sixties. “It’s not the England we know. It looks and feels like, but if you look a little closer, [you ask], ‘Why is that like that? Why is that building there? What war is he talking about?'” In other words, “This is the DC version of 1960s London.”
And whilst Gotham hasn’t been afraid to go to the dark places, being on Epix has allowed Cannon and fellow executive producer Bruno Heller to deliver a completely “unhinged, R-rated” series. Just like Gotham is New York through a dark mirror, Pennyworth‘s London will be a dark reflection of the real thing. And since the classic Batman villains aren’t really an option in this era, Alfred’s enemies will be drawn from “archetypal villains and classic villains of British literature… Jack the Ripper was the 1880s, but he has descendants.”
Cannon also reported that test screenings for Pennyworth were already underway, and so far reactions have been extremely positive; “We had a test audience and there were only so many who know it was a DC-related series. It was incredibly positive and that’s because the characters are being drawn out. There’s so much to draw from and so much to imagine. You didn’t really know [Alfred’s] backstory.”
Pennyworth is expected to premiere on Epix later this year.
Chris is a lifelong fan of Disney, Star Wars and super heroes who can’t quite believe this golden age of movies and TV we’re living in. Having written blogs dedicated to Disney’s Aladdin musical and Star Wars Celebration, Chris is excited to be part of the MNN team.
