Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman's Butler co-showrunner Bruno Heller recently teased the return of Gotham star David Mazouz as Bruce Wayne.
Heller confirmed that he would invite Mazouz to reprise the Bruce Wayne role in the event that the prequel series jumps forward to Gotham's more contemporary setting, in an interview with Looper. "No, [I wouldn't cast a new actor to play Bruce] 'cause we've already done that," he said. "I think we had the best Batman out there in David Mazouz. I'll bring him back." It's worth noting that Heller was responding to a hypothetical scenario posed by his interviewer and there's currently no indication that Bruce Wayne will actually make an appearance on Pennyworth.
Regardless of whether Bruce Wayne does ultimately show up in an episode of Pennyworth, the HBO Max series continues to highlight its connection to the character. Notably, Pennyworth changed its title for Season 3, adding "The Origin of Batman's Butler" as a subtitle. The expanded title was widely derided by DC fans, many of whom objected to Warner Bros. and HBO Max over-selling Pennyworth's ties to the Bat-mythos. Other complaints about the show's new handle included its wordiness and its similarity to a gag in Teen Titans Go! to the Movies.
Gotham Fans Push for the Show's Return
By contrast, fan support for Pennyworth's predecessor shows no signs of wavering. The #SaveGotham campaign, which calls for Gotham to be revived for a sixth season, remains active on Twitter. Those who support the campaign point to the quality of Gotham's storytelling and costume design, describing the show as perfect escapism. They also highlight the strong cast, particularly Cameron Monaghan as The Joker and Anthony Carrigan as Victor Zsasz.
Carrigan previously confirmed that he's open to reprising the Zsasz role, should Gotham land a belated sixth season. "That role was so much fun to play and to develop," he said. "That first scene that I shot where I stand up in the GCPD, on the desk, I was like, 'This is gonna be a good time.'" He added that hanging up Zsasz's costume for the final time was a bittersweet experience and said that getting to portray the tally mark-covered supervillain again would be "fantastic." That said, despite Carrigan's enthusiasm for a Gotham revival, neither Warner Bros. nor HBO Max have given any indication that such a project is in the works.
Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman's Butler Seasons 1 and 2 are currently streaming on HBO Max. New episodes of Season 3 arrive on the platform Wednesdays.
Source: Looper