What if the people in charge of the Wire did a gritty show on Batman?

[Joe Washington]

Each season shows a different part of Gotham society while keeping its primary focus on Batman, the police, and the DA office. One of the themes of the show will be the old regime of crime involving the mob vs. the new, rising one involving the freakish criminals that start popping up after Batman makes his presence known in Gotham. The series will cover the early years of Batman's crimefighting career and his life outside of Batman as Bruce Wayne, the rise and fall of Harvey Dent, and the rise of Detective James Gordon who's destined to become the Commissioner of GPD. It would be like The Dark Knight but with the room and freedom of a TV show.

What do you think? Could it work?

 

[Harvey]

Re: What if the people in charge of the Wire did a gritty show on Batm

To be honest, if David Simon and Ed Burns were in charge, I'd watch the show whatever it was about. The Wire and Generation Kill are 67 of the best hours ever produced for television, and I greatly look forward to Treme whenever it is finally released.

But I doubt either of them would get behind something as far removed from reality as Batman.

 

[byron lomax]

Re: What if the people in charge of the Wire did a gritty show on Batm

Well, the comic series Gotham Central, which mainly focused on the regular police who work in Gotham city with some appearances from Batman, was compared by some readers to Homicide: Life on the Street, The Wire's spiritual predecessor. And there was talk of a TV series based on the (poor-selling) comic, which ultimately didn't get far.

If a TV series were to be made of Batman, that would be the way to go - most of his best comic stories are gritty crime adventures. But it's hard to see what exactly the target audience would be, at least in the eyes of TV execs ("after all, what adults read comics?"); and I doubt a lot of people who follow regular crime dramas would take it seriously.

 

[Goliath]

Re: What if the people in charge of the Wire did a gritty show on Batm

Hey, I'd watch it.

But I'm a David Simon fanboy, like Harvey.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Re: What if the people in charge of the Wire did a gritty show on Batm

I'd like them to do sci fi, but not necessarily tied to a known property like Bats. They need more creative freedom.

 

[JacksonArcher]

Re: What if the people in charge of the Wire did a gritty show on Batm

I think Batman would work really well as a TV commodity but WB would never let that happen... at least not any time soon, with Batman being their biggest film franchise.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Re: What if the people in charge of the Wire did a gritty show on Batm

I would also love to see a live action adaption of Gotham Central...great comic...and I've yet to check out the Wire but everyone who's seen in has said only good things about it. WB is frustrating, they allow animated projects with Batman but won't allow any live action TV projects just the intriguing but short lived Birds of Prey.