Ben McKenzie's Batman origin series Gotham is really happening and has, in fact, received a full-series pickup by Fox, the network has confirmed.
Though the high-profile project had been expected to get the green light, Fox is making it officially official one week before it announces its full fall lineup. Just to show that they're as excited about this series as the rest of the world.
Gotham, which also stars Jada Pinkett Smith and Donal Logue, and focuses on Detective James Gordon (McKenzie), is based upon characters published by DC Entertainment, telling stories that have not yet been told. Executive producer Bruno Heller (The Mentalist) wrote the pilot, which was directed and executive-produced by Danny Cannon (CSI, Nikita).
Batman has been one of the most popular superheroes for decades and his origin story has been told numerous times. But fans of the Dark Knight will be able to get a different look into the life of another essential person in the Batman tale.
"I'm super excited about Gotham," Logue recently told E! News of his casting. "It's an exciting thing; it's going to be here in New York. It's one of those funny things where they're super secretive, so you have to go to a secret place to read a script and give away your phone."
"He might be pretty morally reprehensible too," Logue added of his character, who is a cop who isn't always on the straight and narrow. "Harvey Bullock, he definitely has walked on both sides. Harvey's a detective the way that right now Rollins is a detective. There's a morally ambiguous world that he runs in."
The series will follow McKenzie's character rise to prominence in Gotham City before Batman arrives. The O.C. star was seen filming in March as one of Gotham's boys in blue.
The series will delve into the origin stories of Gordon and the motley group of villains that made the fictitious city famous. Popular characters from the DC Comics universe who will be a part of the show include a young Bruce Wayne/Batman (David Mazouz), Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor), Riddler (Cory Michael Smith) and Catwoman (Camren Bicondova).
As Fox has already invested a lot of money as a commitment to the project, so it was almost a foregone conclusion that the series would be picked up.
An airdate hasn't been announced, but a Warner Bros. spokesman says Gotham is planned for the 2014-15 season.
Here's the full cast:
- Ben McKenzie as "Detective James Gordon"
- Donal Logue as "Detective Harvey Bullock"
- Jada Pinkett Smith as "Fish Mooney"
- David Mazouz as "Bruce Wayne"
- Robin Lord Taylor as "Oswald Cobblepot"
- Camren Bicondova as "Selina Kyle"
- Erin Richards as "Barbara Kean"
- Sean Pertwee as "Alfred Pennyworth"
- Zabryna Guevara as "Captain Essen"
- Cory Michael Smith as "Edward Nygma" (guest star)
