Batman’s most loyal friend is finally getting a live action origin story

21^st May 2018

The editorial unit

The editorial unit

21 May 2018

We’re not sure whether it’s the fact that Michael Caine melted our hearts as Batman’s butler or whether we love Alfred for his undying loyalty to The Dark Knight but one thing’s for sure, he deserves to have his story told. The Hollywood Reporter has recently revealed that the Epix network has given the go-ahead to a ten-episode direct-to-series show named Pennyworth, which will explore the origins of Alfred in his formative years as a British SAS soldier. The series will then go onto document exactly how Alfred ended up forming a secret company and working alongside Batman’s billionaire father Thomas Wayne in 1960s London.

Sean Pertwee, who plays Alfred Pennyworth in Fox’s recently renewed hit Gotham will reportedly not be involved in the series, opening the door for a new, fresh-faced future butler to bring the character to life. In fact, the show will be about as far from a Gotham spin-off as possible and is expected to tell an entirely different story, whilst taking place in the wider DC universe. Pennyworth will, however, see the return of Danny Cannon, who will both produce and direct the pilot, just as he did with Gotham. With casting yet to start, one can only hope that the chosen actor will exude the same sort of British wit, charm and grace that Michael Caine brought to the role when he first came onto our screen in Batman Begins back in 2005 (to be fair, half of that charm would be plenty).

Batman Begins was the first movie in the Christopher Nolan trilogy and although the second instalment, The Dark Knight, is widely accepted as being the best film of the three, it was Batman Begins that sparked the striking chemistry between Bale and Caine and superbly set the scene for what was to take place in the later films. It was a box office smash, grossing over $374 million worldwide and spawned a whole host of merchandise including hoodies, mugs and full Batman costumes.

Of course, there are the usual dissenting voices when it comes to any sort of spin-off attempt. Admittedly, a movie franchise can become a little tiresome once it becomes clear that producers and directors are merely milking the series until they’ve accumulated every last possible penny (worth- see what we did there?). However, if there’s one character that often gets overlooked or is at least underappreciated, it has to be Alfred Pennyworth. In the world that Batman operates, he often finds himself alone and without anyone to trust, especially since the untimely demise of his parents. Alfred provides that much needed support, without intruding or impinging on Batman’s work and consistently provides sound advice and support that The Dark Knight is quite clearly in desperate need of. More Alfred would be great.

The editorial unit