The buzz surrounding Fox's "Gotham" just keeps getting stronger. The upcoming series, debuting Sept. 22, 2014, tells the story of how the famous city became the cesspool of crime that only Batman could successfully fight. For his part, Bruce Wayne is still a boy at this time, and his parents suffer their infamous murders in the pilot episode.
It focuses on a young Detective James Gordon many years before he becomes commissioner, and features a who's who of Batman villains in their earliest days before rising to power. The roster of would-be baddies that shows up as early as the pilot includes Oswald Cobblepot (the Penguin), Edward Nygma (the Riddler), Selina Kyle (Catwoman) and Ivy Pepper (Poison Ivy) -- the latter two of which are tweens like Bruce. We also know that Penguin will battle for supremacy against a new character created for the series, a savvy crime lord named Fish Mooney, who's played by Jada Pinkett Smith.
Reports show that two more villains will be added to the show during the first season, though it sounds like they won't show up until further down the line. Mad scientist Hugo Strange and twisted attorney Harvey Dent (Two-Face) are the latest additions. Lest fans worry that the show will burn through its potential character list in one season, know that these two characters are being added because the story requires them.
Hugo Strange will show up because in addition to detailing Gordon's early career, Gotham's fall into corruption, and Bruce Wayne's troubled childhood, "Gotham" will also depict the creation of Arkham Asylum, which Strange is personally involved with. Showrunner Bruno Heller said that Arkham Asylum is an important piece of the "Gotham" puzzle, because he feels that the prison's "revolving door" nature (i.e., how inmates have a tendency to repeatedly escape) needs explaining. Arkham is one of the building blocks that eventually compelled Bruce Wayne to become Batman.
Heller didn't disclose why Harvey Dent is being added in the first season, but he did reveal that Gotham's depiction of Dent will be older than audiences saw him depicted as by Aaron Eckhart in "The Dark Knight." In the series, Dent will already be an adult — roughly the same age as Ben McKenzie's Jim Gordon — while Bruce Wayne is still a kid.
Reports also revealed that Mr. Freeze may appear on the show at some point.
The one villain everyone wants to know about is the one that Heller and his team aren't going to discuss yet. The Joker will definitely be a part of the show, but the crew is aiming to make his eventual reveal a surprise. Might an established character on "Gotham" slowly transform into the clown prince of crime? We'll have to wait and see.
