The popular Batman prequel series Gotham will soon be coming to an end on FOX. In the meantime, fans of that show will be heartened to know that another prequel to the story of the Caped Crusader will soon be coming to the streaming outlet Epix. The Pennyworth TV show, which will follow a 20-something version of Batman’s iconic butler Alfred, will debut in June.
Pennyworth TV show: Everything to know
Last May, Deadline reported that Epix had given a 10-episode series order for a new Batman prequel titled Pennyworth. Created by Gotham showrunner Bruno Heller and executive producer Danny Cannon, the forthcoming Pennyworth TV show will follow the title character. They described him as “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.”
In the months that followed, numerous trade publications reported on the show’s development and casting. Specifically, Heller and Cannon’s decision to cast The Imitation Game’s Jack Bannon in the title role. Production began in October 2018, but little has been reported on the series since. That all changed over the weekend when Epix officially presented the cast, crew and a first-look image to the journalists gathered at the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour.
Interestingly enough, the original idea for the series came not from Heller or Cannon, but from actor Michael Caine, who portrayed an older Alfred in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy.
“This is the origin story of the Pennyworth character, and we owe it to Michael Caine for making him an SAS soldier in the first place,” Heller told the TCA audience. “How did he go from being an SAS soldier to being a butler in America? This gave us a chance to create a world around him, a world in England that fits the whole DC universe. It’s been so surprising to all of us the depth and range we can go into with this character.”
Pennyworth TV show cast
As for the creators’ decision to place the show in 1960s London, Cannon explained he didn’t there was “a better period in England.”
“It’s after the war, when things changed for good. You could see the change in the air, things were happening culturally and artistically. It was an inspiring time in England.”
Aside from Bannon taking on the title role, the Pennyworth TV show will also feature Ryan Fletcher, Hainsley Lloyd Bennett, Paloma Faith, Jason Flemyng and Polly Walker. Our Girl star Ben Aldridge will co-star alongside Bannon as Bruce Wayne’s father, Thomas Wayne.
When does the Pennyworth TV show premiere?
Pennyworth debuts June 2019 on Epix.
