DChas released quite a few projects with different tones over the past few years, and one of them has opened the door to the studio’s perfect way of copying what worked for one of Netflix’s biggest detective thrillers. While James Gunn’sSuperman, theDCU’s first movie, is family-friendly,that tone is not going to be the same for all releases.
Gunn has made it clear multiple times. In fact,two of the director’s first three DC Studios projects are heavy on blood and mature themes. Those two are the TV-MA animated seriesCreature Commandosand the equally TV-MAPeacemakerseason 2. The studio is open to exploring different tones as it sees fit for theupcoming DC movies and shows.
That got me thinking about thedarkest projects DCcould explore. While Marvel Studios' MCU was PG-13 only for most of its run, DC Studios has been more fluid from the start. That opens the door for one franchise toemulate one of Netflix’s best shows, and it could work wonders for DC’s Batman corner.
Mindhunter Is Netflix’s Perfect Detective Thriller
The Netflix series in question isMindhunter, which holds an impressive 97% critics' score onRotten Tomatoes. The detective series was created by David Fincher, with the showexploring how the modern profiling of serial killers came to bethrough a team of agents who interview several serial killers throughout the show’s two seasons.
Sadly,Mindhunterwas essentially cancelled after season 2 despite it being one of Netflix’s best TV shows, thoughMindhuntercould come back in movie format. The series was a slow-burn that explored the minds of wildly different types of killers.After watching an equally dark DC series, I’m convinced the studio has the ability to create its ownMindhunter.
The Penguin Opens The Door To The Perfect DC Version Of Mindhunter
The Batman Epic Crime Saga, which exists separately from thecanon of James Gunn’s DC Universeas an Elseworlds franchise, is perfect for the tone of Netflix’sMindhunter.HBO’s Emmy-nominated DC series,The Penguin, explored one of DC’s darkest locations, Arkham Asylum, or Arkham State Hospital, in the show. Cristin Milioti’s Sofia Falcone suffered at the facility.
Fans were taken on a ride through Arkham’s manipulation and torture of patients, most of whom are deranged killers and the like. With Arkham and its awful conditions established inThe Penguin,The Batmanfranchise is uniquely equipped to explore the lives ofArkham’s killers, like the Joker, the Riddler, Sofia Falcone, and more.
Perhaps withRobert Pattinson’s Batman fulfilling the role of detectives Holden Ford and Bill Tench from Netflix’sMindhunter, DC Studios could have a project that explores how a detective can profile society’s darkest minds. After all,The Batman’s deleted Joker sceneshowed how Batman and Joker had such an established dynamic.DCcould build that into its own version ofMindhunter.
Mindhunter
Cast
From executive producers David Fincher and Charlize Theron comes Mindhunter, a series that chronicles the founding of the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit used to track and apprehend serial killers. Mindhunter follows Agent Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) as they work to establish a framework for understanding the minds of some of America’s most dangerous serial killers. Mindhunter adapts a number of true crime stories, including the BTK murders and the notorious Co-Ed Killer, Edmund Kemper.
The Penguin
Created by Lauren LeFranc, The Penguin is a crime-drama spin-off television series of 2022’s film The Batman. Set shortly after the events of The Batman, Oz Cobb, A.K.A. the Penguin, begins his rise in the underworld of Gotham City as he contends with the daughter of his late boss, Carmine Falcone, for control of the crime family’s empire.
