‘Arkham Asylum’ HBO Max Series Hires ‘The Staircase’ Creator Antonio Campos As Director/Showrunner

Following the breaking news that James Gunn and Peter Safran have been tapped to oversee the newly branded DC Studios, the good DC news keeps coming. Director/producer Matt Reeves’ corner of the DC Universe—“The Batman”—is still expanding and multiple HBO Max shows, such as Colin Farrell’s “Penguin,” are already in the works. And now, another untitled series centered on Arkham Asylum and the institution for Gotham’s criminally insane, just found its creative lead.

Variety reports that “The Staircase” director and showrunner Antonio Campos—also known for his celebrated indie filmmaking career with films like “Simon Killer” (2012), “Christine” (2016), and “The Devil All the Time” (2020)— has joined the DC Comics streaming series as a writer. Should the series get picked up past the pilot for a full series order, Campos will also be its director, showrunner, and executive producer.

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Campos is the third writer on the project, as it evolved and changed over time. It began as a Gotham P.D. project before pivoting with “Boardwalk Empire” showrunner Terence Winter at the helm. He left over creative differences, and Joe Barton took over, describing a show that was Gotham mixed with “The Wire,” but then the project shifted towards the infamous Arkham Asylum, where many Batman villains are held after being captured and handed over to authorities. The Riddler and Joker appeared in the facility in “The Batman,” however, it’s unknown if Paul Dano and Barry Keoghan will reprise their roles in the series.

All other details, loglines, and story ideas have been kept in the dark so far, but hopefully, Campos is the one to unlock the project. The filmmaker is coming off his aforementioned HBO Max prestige series, “The Staircase,” with an all-star cast led by Colin Firth. Before that, he was a director and executive producer on “The Sinner” with Jessica Biel. He’s been seemingly putting the indie arthouse behind him in recent years in favor of more high-profile prestige TV, so this Arkham project seems to fit the bill.

Reeves is also behind a sequel to “The Batman” and developing villain-focused movies that may feature antagonists such as Clayface and Scarecrow. The future of this alt-Batman universe is definitely in the head of Reeves and his creative teams as they continue to expand this version of Gothman on the big and small screens.