Fox Unsurprisingly Gives BATMAN Prequel GOTHAM Series Order

By Adam Holmes on Monday, May 5th, 2014

For those who have been wanting a deeper look at Gotham City in the pre-Batman years, their wish has been granted. Fox has officially announced that Gotham has been ordered to series.

It's official: @FOXTV Orders #gotham to Series!!!

— Gotham (@Gotham) May 5, 2014

This is probably the top contender for least surprising pilot pickup for the 2014-2015 season. The show got a series commitment from Fox, which means that if the network had decided not to go forward with it, they would have had to pay a penalty. According to Entertainment Weekly, the order is for 13 episodes, and a trailer for the series will air during tonight’s premiere of 24: Live Another Day. (UPDATE: Here’s the first trailer.)

The show will focus on the origin stories of Gotham City’s iconic characters, most notably rookie detective Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie) and recently orphaned Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz). Other main characters include Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue), Oswald Cobblepot (Robin Lord Taylor), Selina Kyle (Camren Bicondova), Alfred Pennyworth (Sean Pertwee), Fish Mooney (Jada Pinkett Smith), Sarah Essen (Zabryna Guevara), Barbara Kean (Erin Richards) and guest star Edward Nygma (Cory Michael Smith).

Whether you’ve been a proponent of this show or not, it’s on the way. Many have scoffed at the idea of having another Batman origin story, especially considering that Bruce Wayne’s alter ego won’t even appear. I used to share these sentiments, but I’ve changed my mind over time. Yes, Bruce is a main character, but the focus will be on Jim Gordon. We’ll get to see a deteriorating Gotham City through his eyes and witness the events and people responsible for Batman’s eventual debut.

There’s still a lot going against it. We don’t really need another Batman origin story, and inserting these pre-villains makes little to no sense (other than Selina Kyle and Oswald Cobblepot). Still, I’m willing to give it a shot. With Batman getting more than his fair share of movie time, it makes sense to scale back and take a look at the mythology from the TV screen.

But if Gordon never gets that mustache, I’ll make sure Fox hears my rage.

SOURCE: Entertainment Weekly