Just a day after “Man of Steel” writer David S. Goyer defended some third act decisions in that film by likening it to a “Superman Begins” with redefined rules, it seems DC Comics was feeling anxious to get another origin story out into the world. With “Superman vs. Batman” standing as the behemoth in the distance for them on the big screen, they’ve decided to take a cue from Marvel‘s recent “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D” and shuffle a supporting character into the spotlight for their own series.
A massive bidding war in the TV realm has landed Fox with “Gotham,” a new TV series from Warner Bros. TV and creator Bruno Heller (“The Mentalist”) that centers around Commissioner James Gordon’s beginnings fighting crime in Gotham City. Somewhat thankfully, Batman will never figure into the show, and instead it will find Gordon as a detective starting out within the police department, investigating the many signature villains cropping up within the city limits.
This news comes after WB reportedly was developing the series for more than a year, but don’t look for Gary Oldman‘s name to come anywhere near it, partially because it’s an origin story, and also because it’s Gary Oldman. That leaves the role open for an inspired casting choice—one that could put an impressive spin on the part, while also selling what is likely to be a more procedural approach (a quality also leveled recently at ‘Agents’ as both a positive and negative). So start your predictions now, both in terms of character and whether or not “Gotham” will end up as the next “Smallville” or “Birds of Prey.” [Deadline]
I have a hard time believing that I will care about a Gotham story if Batman never figures into it.
I also have a hard time believing that Batman will never figure into it somehow. Or at least, a Wayne or two.
I'd love to see Ben Foster as a young Jim Gordon in this.