GOTHAM Showrunner Developing Alfred Pennyworth TV Show at Epix

It was recently confirmed that Fox’s Gotham will return for a fifth and final season next year. But showrunner Bruno Heller has already lined up his next big project, and it too is based on Batman lore.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Heller is developing the prequel series Pennyworth at Epix, which has made a 10-episode straight-to-series order. As you might have guessed, the show explores the origin of Alfred Pennyworth, the Wayne family’s butler. The series is set in 1960s London, and it depicts Alfred as a former British SAS soldier who forms a secret company and works with Thomas Wayne.

Despite having the same showrunner, Pennyworth is not at all connected to Gotham. Instead, it takes place in a separate universe. Heller will be reteaming with Danny Cannon on this series. Cannon is also working on DC Universe’s Metropolis.

Epix president Michael Wright gave the following statement about the network’s first comic book show. “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.”

Alfred has been played by countless actors over the years, and he has appeared in pretty much every Batman adaptation ever. Most recently, Jeremy Irons played Alfred in DC Films’ universe, while Sean Pertwee plays him on Gotham.

Stay tuned for more news as we have it.