Alfred, Batman’s faithful butler, is an interesting guy in his own right. Depending on the continuity, he was a World War II-era spy, an experienced actor before getting into the butler industry, or was a former trooper with the SAS. If that sounds like TV series material, DC is way ahead of you.
DC has registered a trademark for Pennyworth as a TV series, which would imply they’re considering, at least, putting Alfred in the spotlight. Despite the fan speculation, this seems unlikely to be tied to Gotham, at least in the sense that Sean Pertwee will have an entire series dedicated to the worst parent in the history of TV. Gotham‘s ratings, while solid, aren’t exactly spin-off material. Also, seriously, Alfred took Bruce to a fight club in the latest episode. Why is this guy being allowed to raise children?
This seems more likely to be another prequel series, in the vein of other DC shows coming up like Krypton or Sony’s notorious Aunt May movie, leaving Batman and Superman for the movies while still trading off their popularity. Or perhaps they could riff on Alfred’s current role as spy and manager for the Batfamily. In the comics, currently, he’s leading a gang of Batfans in mystery solving and crime-fighting. Alfred running around with ’30s era mystery men during World War II or fighting off DC villains would be fun to watch, and there’s also a daughter, Julia Pennyworth, who’s interesting in her own right. All that said, we wouldn’t object to The Sean Pertwee Awful Parent Hour, either, so really either way we win.
(Via Bleeding Cool)
