As prim and proper as most depictions of Alfred Pennyworth have been over the years, that hasn’t always been the story for the man who would be Batman’s butler. Fans will get a behind the dark and violent curtain that is Alfred’s past in Pennyworth, a new series coming later this year from EPIX. You can see a teaser above — one in which Alfred talks about his hopes for a peaceful life down the line. Well, buddy, we’ve got some bad news for you on that score…!
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The new series tells the story of an Alfred Pennyworth (Jack Bannon) in his 20s, who just recently completed his duties as a British SAS soldier. To find a new line of work, Alfred forms a new private security company and gets into business with a young billionaire by the name of Thomas Wayne (Ben Aldridge).
As we all know, the friendship between these two character continues over the course of their lives, and Alfred ends up becoming the caretaker to Thomas Wayne’s son, Bruce, after Thomas is murdered. However, unlike most other shows and movies featuring these characters, this will feel more like an old spy thriller than a comic book origin.
“I went back and watched Michael Caine’s Harry Palmer movies, and the first couple of James Bond movies, because going back to that Cold War kind of story telling I liked going back into this period because all of our Berlin movies and Russian espionage movies, it was like the British version of westerns,” executive producer Danny Cannon told us earlier this year. “Like there was a wild west quality to the Cold War. Because after the war was done, we knew that there was a nuclear bomb, and we were capable of terrible things, but the spying and the style in which it was done, and the dignity with which it was done, and the charm with which it was done I thought all reminded me of what Bruno had been talking about. So going back to those movies, and watching what was good about Michael Caine back there was he didn’t hide his accent. And the fact that Harry Palmer was very unpopular, but he just got the job done. Because he called everything as it was. His feet were firmly placed in the ground, he’d look people in the eye and I really appreciated that, James Bond, same thing too.”
In addition to Jack Bannon (The Imitation Game, Ripper Street) and Ben Aldridge (Our Girl, Fleabag), cast members include multi-award-winning recording artist Paloma Faith, Jason Flemyng (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Ryan Fletcher (Outlander), Hainsley Lloyd Bennett (Eastenders), Emma Paetz (Gentleman Jack), Polly Walker (The Mentalist, Rome) and Emma Corrin (The Crown).
Pennyworth premieres on July 28th.
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