HBO swings axe on 'Arkham Asylum' spinoff of 'Batman' universe

Max is not going forward—for now—with the TV show Arkham Asylum, which was set in Matt Reeves's Batman universe.

Multiple outlets reported Antonio Campos, who was tapped as showrunner for the series, which would focus on the hospital filled with villains of Bat vigilante.

However, they also reported the show was not fully shelved. Rather, work is said to be ongoing to explore a new storyline.

Besides Batman's villains, Michael Keaton previously told GQ magazine that his selection for the Dark Knight role was met with strong reactions from fans.

"The fact that Tim said 'That guy, I want that guy'… The fact that people cared one way or another so much is still baffling," he recalled the film's director, Tim Burton, choosing him for Batman.

"But that was a *** move on his part. We also had a nice working relationship from 'Beetlejuice,' so he felt that he and I could get along and would work well together."

However, his performance was so good that Mark Hamill, who voiced Joker in Batman: The Animated Series, presented his performance as a reason to take up the villainous role.

"I had a confidence that really helped me because there was this big outcry that Michael Keaton was gonna play Batman, ‘Oh, he’s Mr. Mom, he’s a comedy actor,'" he told Wired.

"I mean, they hadn’t even seen him [in the role] and they didn’t realize how great he would become. But, there was great controversy."