MGM-owned Epix has given a 10-episode straight-to-series order to Pennyworth, a Batman prequel from Gotham showrunner Bruno Heller, executive producer/director Danny Cannon and Warner Horizon Scripted TV.

Written by Heller, based on DC characters created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, Pennyworth follows Bruce Wayne’s legendary butler, Alfred Pennyworth, a former British SAS soldier who forms a security company and goes to work with Thomas Wayne, Bruce’s billionaire father, in 1960’s London. Production will begin later this year, with a series premiere slated for 2019.

Heller and Cannon executive produce and Cannon will direct the pilot.

“As genuine fans of these classic DC characters, as well as the incredibly talented Bruno Heller and Danny Cannon, we couldn’t be more excited to make Epix the home of this series,” said Michael Wright, President, Epix. “We can’t wait to work with Bruno and Danny – along with Peter Roth, Susan Rovner, Brett Paul and the team at Warner Horizon – on this fantastic origin story.”

Bruno Heller and Danny Cannon said, “Michael and his colleagues have created the perfect venue for original storytelling, and all of us working on Pennyworth are thrilled to be on the Epix slate.”

Pennyworth comes on the heels of Epix’s pickup of ABC Signature Studios’ drama series Godfather of Harlem, starring and executive produced by Oscar winner Forest Whitaker, with Chris Brancato and Paul Eckstein (Narcos) serving as showrunners. Both series join Epix’s critically praised dark comedy Get Shorty from MGM TV, which premieres its second season this summer.