Bruce Wayne (TV series)

Bruce Wayne was a planned television series focusing on a young Bruce Wayne before he became Batman. The idea was conceived as a pitch from screenwriter Tim McCanlies, and went as far into development until being shelved in favor of, at that time, the planned film Batman: Year One. The concept would later be rethought and turned into the television series Smallville, this time focusing on a young Clark Kent before he became Superman.

In 1999, roughly a year after seeing the script he wrote for The Iron Giant get released, Tim McCanlies pitched to Tollin/Robbins Productions a 62-page pilot script for a TV show revolving around the teenage years of Bruce Wayne, the future Batman. The supporting characters included a grandfather-type, two-faced friends, only one trustful cop, and an empire the hero would inherit. According to McCanlies, everyone knows the origin of Batman, but what was never answered in comics or any media were the questions of "why and how".

Tollin/Robbins bought the rights to produce the series, and while HBO began negotiating about possible broadcasting rights,The WB Television Network loved the idea and knew it would be the next big franchise on their network, to pair with the then-new Buffy the Vampire Slayer spin-off Angel. Since the series never actually reached pre-production or casting, it is unknown who would have starred in the show. However, Shawn Ashmore, who later went on to play Bobby Drake in X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand, was heavily rumoured to be in negotiations about playing Bruce, as well as Trevor Fehrman of Clerks II fame. A then-unknown Michael Rosenbaum (who would go on to play Lex Luthor in Smallville) was considered to play the role of Harvey Dent. David Krumholtz, a current TV actor of Numb3rs, was said to be rumored for Jim Gordon.

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