With The CW bringing together most of its cast for The Flash pilot over the past couple of weeks, Fox has now started the ball rolling on its own upcoming DC pilot Gotham, with Ben McKenzie (The O.C., Southland) signing on to play Detective James Gordon.
McKenzie is no stranger to the world of DC Comics, having lent his voice to Bruce Wayne / Batman in the animated movie Batman: Year One. His Gordon is set to be one of the main roles in the series, with the Gotham iteration of the future commissioner is described by The Hollywood Reporter as:
“A rookie detective for Gotham City Open Police Department’s Homicide Squad, a former college football star and war hero, Gordon was fast-tracked through the GCPD ranks. He’s brave, energetic and honest. Driven to live up to the classical virtues of a father he barely knew, he’s an idealistic soul, to the point of naivete. That virtue is tempered by analytical intelligence and an ambitious alpha male ego — he’ll back up his naive ideals with action.”
Gotham has been created by Bruno Heller (The Mentalist), with Danny Cannon (Judge Dredd) serving as executive producer in addition to directing the pilot episode. The series will revolve around a teenage Bruce Wayne, as well as exploring the origins of some of Batman’s best-loved foes including The Joker, The Riddler, Catwoman, and The Penguin.
Originally published February 9, 2014. Updated April 11, 2018.
