As a devoted fan of the DC universe, I’ve witnessed the ebb and flow of various series over the years. The intriguing concept of a Superman prequel titled Metropolis was one that had me excited, especially after the success of Gotham. However, upon reflecting on my journey through the world of DC television, I’ve come to appreciate the wisdom in the decisions made by the creators.
Between 2014 and 2019, the TV series “Gotham” provided viewers with a glimpse of what a Batman show could be without Batman himself, as David Mazouz’s character Bruce Wayne was only seen in the Batsuit during the last moments of the final episode. The Fox show ran for a total of 100 episodes over five seasons. During this period, there were also plans to adapt the Superman mythology in a similar manner with a spinoff series set in Metropolis. However, this project never materialized, and after understanding the reasons given by “Gotham” producers Danny Cannon and John Stephens for why it didn’t happen, I believe their decision was wise.
In an extensive oral history of the television series Gotham published by IGN to mark its 10th anniversary debut, Cannon shared a memory about an encounter during Ben McKenzie and Morena Baccarin’s (characters James Gordon and Lee Thompkins) wedding. At this event, Heller, the creator of Gotham, approached Cannon and Stephens and mentioned that Warner Bros. desired another DC series. They collaborated to create Metropolis, a show focusing on Lois Lane and Lex Luthor as primary characters, with Luthor’s character depicted in a manner similar to Walter White from Breaking Bad. Discussing why Metropolis never progressed past the development stage, Cannon stated this:
Metropolis wasn’t chosen because we repeatedly mentioned Gotham, implying that Batman’s city functions without him. Essentially, Gotham is more than just Batman; it sets the stage for his existence. Similarly, Metropolis lacks Superman. But consider this, Metropolis is not merely a location; it’s a character in itself. Lois Lane and Lex Luthor are its personalities, with Lois being a journalist and Lex possibly a genius. It sounds intriguing, but once we said “no Superman,” the response was more like “not really.
At first, I myself found Danny Cannon and John Stephens’ idea of Metropolis complementing Gotham intriguing. In fact, Cannon referred to it as the “yin and yang” because he viewed Metropolis as the epitome of perfection, while Gotham was the embodiment of imperfection. However, as I later understood, Gotham managed to thrive without Batman. This is because their portrayal of the lore suggested that the chaos in Gotham City served as the catalyst for Batman’s emergence. Furthermore, as previously mentioned, a young Bruce Wayne played a pivotal role in Gotham, giving viewers an insight into the events that ultimately led to him adopting the cape and cowl.
Compared to Metropolis, introducing Kal-El/Clark Kent earlier in the storyline wouldn’t have worked because at that time, he was likely either residing in Smallville or secluded at the Fortress of Solitude. Given this, even though it would have been intriguing to witness Lois and Luthor as main characters, Metropolis might have struggled to capture audience interest since Clark’s backstory wouldn’t have been integral to the plot. Furthermore, John Stephens mentioned another challenge the spinoff encountered: its high production cost. He elaborated on this point by stating:
Initially, Superman was all set to debut. They were about to introduce the DC Universe streaming service and had planned to commission the show directly without a pilot. However, they seemed to have second thoughts. It wasn’t your typical pilot because someone else was taking it up. Unlike selling it to Fox and having them foot the bill, in this case, they would be responsible for the entire cost, estimated at $120 million for 10 episodes. Keep in mind that at this time, their platform hadn’t been launched yet. This might have caused some hesitation, as they weren’t accustomed to this setup and the platform wasn’t ready.
While the original idea of a Metropolis series didn’t progress, there have been alternate Superman prequels that found success. For instance, Krypton, which aired on Syfy for two seasons, focused on Kal-El’s grandfather Seg-El and introduced popular DC characters like General Zod, Brainiac, and Lobo. Additionally, Superman & Lois, set to conclude its season soon, deviates from the prequel format by following a Clark Kent who is married to Lois Lane and has two sons. Therefore, it’s understandable that the non-realization of Metropolis doesn’t bother me too much given the abundance of live-action Superman content on television recently.
If you’re interested in watching or rewatching Gotham, here’s where you can do it: It’s available for streaming with a Max subscription. And as usual, stay tuned to TopMob for the latest updates on upcoming DC movies and TV shows.
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2024-09-29 22:09