FOX’s Batman prequel series Gotham is shaping up to be quite the exploration of the Caped Crusader’s rogues gallery. What began as a telling of future police commissioner James Gordon’s origin has seemingly morphed into a larger exploration of what turned some of Gotham City’s citizens into the villains we know and love. We already know that Oswald Cobblepot (Robin Lord Taylor), Selina Kyle (Camren Bicondova), Edward Nigma (Cory Michael Smith), and Ivy Pepper (Clare Foley) will be featured, with characters like the Joker and Scarecrow planned to appear at some point in the future.
In a recent interview with HitFix, pilot episode director Danny Cannon revealed that he wants to bring one of Batman’s… cooler villains into the fold as well: the mysterious Dr. Victor Fries, the future pun-spouting criminal with a heart of ice, Mr. Freeze.
When asked about a future moment he’s already anticipating wanting to get back in the director’s chair for, Cannon said:
“I have a big pitch with Bruno [Heller] about the Mr. Freeze character, whose origins are uncertain. If I can win Geoff Johns over and if I can win Bruno over, then I look forward to the moment where that character can be realized.”
On using too many villains at once and finding a way to spread them out over the course of the series:
“The beauty of this, both myself and Bruno did not sign on until we heard both network and studio assure us that we would not be forced into realizing this so quickly. We want a slow-burn. All our favorite shows, all our studio’s favorite shows, all our network’s favorite shows are a slow burn. They assured us and so far, so good.”
That’s definitely good to hear, because as great as it will be to see these iconic characters on the small screen, handling them with care is key. Luckily, it seems that Cannon and showrunner Bruno Heller know that, and will proceed at a controlled and engaging pace.
Gotham is set to air in the fall, on Monday nights on FOX. The series stars Ben McKenzie (The O.C.) as Detective Gordon, Donal Logue (Sons of Anarchy) as Harvey Bullock, Sean Pertwee (Dog Soldiers) as Alfred Pennyworth, David Mazouz (Touch) as Bruce Wayne, newcommer Camren Bicondova as Selina Kyle, Robin Lord Taylor (Another Earth) as Oswald Cobblepot, Cory Michael Smith (Olive Kitteridge) as Edward Nygma, Jada Pinkett Smith (The Matrix) as Fish Mooney, Zabryna Guevara (The Guilt Trip) as Detective Essen, Victoria Cartagena (Salt) as Renee Montoya, Andrew Stewart Jones (The Tomorrow People) as Crispus Allen, Erin Richards (Being Human) as Barbara Kean, and Drew Powell (Malcom in the Middle) as Butch Gilzean.
Originally published June 24, 2014. Updated April 12, 2018.
