We have had so many Batman movies that we feel like we know everything about this part of the DC universe, but do we really? Bruce Wayne may be a hero, but he definitely would have not come this far if he would not have the genius mind of Alfred Pennyworth helping him. Now it is time for him to tell his story.
Executive producers Bruno Heller and Danny Cannon came to San Diego Comic-Con along with Jack Bannon, who plays Pennyworth, Ben Aldridge, who plays Thomas Wayne, and Paloma Faith, who plays Bet Sykes. The cast and creators debuted the pilot episode of the new EPIX show, which as Cannon points out is a prequel to FOX’s Gotham.
The original story, which was created from the same group of people who worked on Gotham, will introduce an Alfred Pennyworth we have not seen yet.
Set in 1960s London, former British SAS soldier Pennyworth builds his own security company. One day, he crosses path with the young US billionaire Thomas Wayne, who requires his services. At some point, both have to fight against Bet Sykes, who will play the villain in the five episode long first season.
If you like Batman, but love Alfred, this series is for you! Finally, this character who “everyone knows and loves” will be explored more, Heller said, who adds that Alfred’s story is more relatable.
Personally, I am not familiar with EPIX, but judging from the trailer we can expect a certain amount of violence and creative freedom as they would have had on the usual networks.
Pennyworth will also give us the opportunity to not only get to know Alfred better, but also learn more about the Wayne family. Do not hold your breath when you are waiting to see them as best friends anytime soon, because “they don’t like each other very much”, Bannon said. Alfred only sees Thomas as an opportunity to drive attention to his company and because he needs the money.
When the series starts, Thomas has not met Martha yet and it was revealed that both men will fall in love with her. As we know, Thomas wins her over eventually. We have to wait to see how much we will get to see of Alfred’s past and how he turned out to became a butler instead of Wayne’s main security guy.
Paloma Faith, who is most known to be a phenomenon singer, describes the show as “depressingly sexy” and we can expect to see every character in action throwing punches in some epic fight scenes.
Mark your calendars because Pennyworth will premiere on July 28.
