Gary Oldman stars as Jim Gordon in "The Dark Knight Rises." Fox has greenlit a Batman prequel show"Gotham" will give an origin story for Commissioner GordonFox has indicated that iconic villains will also appear(EW.com) -- Fox chose an auspicious moment to greenlight a Batman prequel show.
The same day the network announced "Gotham," eternal rival Marvel saw its multi-punctuated "Avengers" spin-off "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." deliver a dominant series-premiere ratings performance."S.H.I.E.L.D.'s" success is proof-of-concept for a new Superhero-Adjacent genre: A show set in a familiar super-universe that focuses on the less-super (and decidedly cheaper) heroes."Gotham" is superficially similar. Like "S.H.I.E.L.D.," it transforms a supporting character into the lead: The show will apparently constitute an origin story for Commissioner Gordon, the chief lawman and Friend-of-Batman played by Gary Oldman in the "Dark Knight" trilogy.But it also appears that "Gotham" will prominently feature other characters from the comic book mythos. Fox has indicated that iconic villains will also appear, in some kind of fetal prequel form. Expect to learn more about the show in tantalizing tidbits dropped with regular, Internet-imploding news releases over the next few months. In the meantime, here are five talking points about Gotham:1. It will probably have a strong narrative foundation from "Batman: Year One." Although less famous than Frank Miller's other grim-and-gritty '80s Caped Crusader adventure, The Dark Knight Returns, Miller's four-part origin-story collaboration with artist David Mazzucchelli has arguably been more influential. Year One provided the structural backbone for Batman Begins and strongly influenced the grounded portrayal of Gotham City through Christopher Nolan's trilogy.The new series might be Batman-free, but Year One is just as much an origin story for Jim Gordon. A younger Gordon arrives in Gotham as a Chicago transplant with a pregnant wife and discovers the Gotham police department is filled with corruption. He becomes a kind of Elliot Ness figure, a hero cop who refuses to take money; meanwhile, his personal life falls into shambles. Since Gotham is on network TV, the rampant corruption will probably be toned down, but don't be surprised if Gordon becomes a great-at-his-job/bad-at-his-life procedural protagonist.2. It will hopefully have characters inspired by/taken directly from Gotham Central. This Greg Rucka/Ed Brubaker/Michael Lark monthly comic was short-lived but absolutely fantastic. Essentially Homicide: Life on the Street where the criminals are all costumed lunatics, Gotham Central focused on the nitty-gritty police work performed by its gigantic cast of detectives. At one point, a Gotham Central TV series was actually in development. (It was a long time ago; the network developing it was the WB.) While Central focused on the whole department, the new Gotham will probably zero in on a squad of badasses — but if we're lucky, some of those badasses will have names like Renee Montoya, Crispus Allen, and Maggie Sawyer.3. It will almost certainly be a procedural. At least at first. The new hot concept for a broadcast drama is a Mission-of-the-Week drama set in a larger world that might eventually transform into something more ambitious. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Sleepy Hollow both had pilots that simultaneously set up long-running story arcs while promising hour-long monsters-of-the-week. Fox's own upcoming Almost Human could be a model for Gotham: set in a fantastical world, but with weekly cases that mix the fantastical with viewer-grabbing cop work. Gotham executive producer Bruno Heller created The Mentalist, one of the more durable procedural concepts of recent years. I wonder if the first season will gradually build up through a series of cases that point to an ultimate villain, à la Red John.4. But the show's ambitions could grow, as it explores the history of Gotham. Batman's hometown has probably the most substantive history of any superhero city. Over the years, various writers and projects have used Gotham's dark-side-of-America persona as a chance to explore just about every bleak thing that has ever happened in the history of the American City. Will Gotham feature anything about the history of the Wayne family? Or the tangled families of the Gotham underworld? Could we ever get a trip to Wonder City, a prototype utopia fallen into disarray that appeared in Arkham City? Could season 5 of Gotham just be a long Batman-free retelling of the incredible earthquake-apocalypse story arc of "No Man's Land"? Remember: Heller also produced Rome, HBO's proto-Game of Thrones, which constantly set its characters' struggles against the history of their society.5. Clearly, the Riddler should be the Big Bad. Has any Batman villain had a rougher go of it in the modern era? He's the most famous Bat-baddie to not get a Nolanized reinterpretation — which means that his most prominent appearance in the last two decades of pop culture was Jim Carrey's green-tights performance in Batman Forever. But the Riddler could make for a great antagonist in a procedural: His whole existence is based around coming up with ever-more-elaborate mysteries. Also, if the creators of Gotham want to slowly back up into the crazier aspects of the Batman mythology — no Mr. Freeze, no Clayface — the Riddler is a real-ish psychotic. They could even play around with the Riddler's iconography: Maybe, in this retelling, he's Gordon's main nemesis. Or maybe he's initially working with the Gotham PD in some kind of expert capacity, like Hannibal in Hannibal. Come on guys, the Riddler! He makes riddles!What do you want to see from Gotham, fellow Bat-people? And who should play Jim Gordon? Patrick Wilson? Garrett Hedlund? Casey Affleck?See the original story at EW.com.CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly© 2011 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved./* push in config for this share instance */cnn_shareconfig.push({"id" : "cnn_sharebar2","url" : "http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/25/showbiz/tv/batman-prequel-gotham-ew/index.html","title" : "\'Batman\' TV prequel: What we can expect from \'Gotham\'"});
EDITION: INTERNATIONAL U.S. MÉXICO ARABIC TV: CNNi CNN en Español Set edition preference Sign up Log in Home Video World U.S. Africa Asia Europe Latin America Middle East Business World Sport Entertainment Tech Travel iReport SHARE THISPrintEmailMore sharingRedditStumbleUponDelicious/* push in config for this share instance */cnn_shareconfig.push({"id" : "cnn_sharebar1","url" : "http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/23/showbiz/movies/ben-affleck-batman-reaction/index.html","title" : "Ben Affleck as Batman might not be so bad"});Ben Affleck as Batman might not be so badBy Breeanna Hare, CNNAugust 23, 2013 -- Updated 2114 GMT (0514 HKT)if (typeof cnnArticleGallery=="undefined"){var cnnArticleGallery={};if(typeof cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList=="undefined"){cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList=[];}}var expGalleryPT00=new ArticleExpandableGallery();expGalleryPT00.setImageCount(12);expGalleryPT00.setAdsRefreshCount(3);//cnn_adbptrackpgalimg("Why not this guy for Batman?", 1);.cnn_html_slideshow_metadata > .cnn_html_media_utility::before{color:red;content:'>>';font-size:9px;line-height:12px;padding-right:1px}.cnnstrylccimg640{margin:0 27px 14px 0}.captionText{filter:alpha(opacity=100);opacity:1}.cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a,.cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a:visited,.cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a:link,.captionText a,.captionText a:visited,.captiontext a:link{color:#004276;outline:medium none}.cnnVerticalGalleryPhoto{margin:0 auto;padding-right:68px;width:270px}
#BetterBatmanThanBenAffleck. Here's a look at those who could have played Batman on the big screen..." border="0" height="360" id="articleGalleryPhoto001" style="margin:0 auto;" width="640"/>The recently announced casting choice of Ben Affleck to play Batman in the upcoming "Man of Steel" sequel has stirred lots of debate and produced the Twitter trend #BetterBatmanThanBenAffleck. Here's a look at those who could have played Batman on the big screen...cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":true,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":1,"title":"Why not this guy for Batman?"}
Prior to the announcement of Affleck snagging the role, Josh Brolin made The Hollywood Reporter's list of potential actors to fill the suit. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":2,"title":"Josh Brolin"}
"True Blood's" Joe Manganiello also made the THR shortlist and would definitely have raised Batman's sexy quotient. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":3,"title":"Joe Manganiello "}
Twitter users may not have been entirely serious when they ranked Idris Elba in the #BetterBatmanThanBenAffleck suggestions, but since producers haven't seen fit yet to make the British actor the new James Bond, we would take Batman.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":4,"title":"Idris Elba"}
Imagine the moves Batman would have had if Channing Tatum had been selected. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":5,"title":"Channing Tatum"}
"Stoker" star Matthew Goode would have been another good Brit for the role.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":6,"title":"Matthew Goode "}
Come on. It's Ryan Gosling!cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":7,"title":"Why not this guy for Batman?"}
Jon Hamm is sort of a man of mystery as Don Draper on "Mad Men" so Batman wouldn't have been a huge stretch, would it?cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":8,"title":"Jon Hamm"}
Armie Hammer starred in "Lone Ranger" so he has action film experience. And he is adorable. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":9,"title":"Armie Hammer"}
Benjamin McKenzie from "The O.C." and "Southland" already voiced Batman for the 2011 animated film "Batman: Year One" so he is familiar with the territory.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":10,"title":"Benjamin McKenzie"}
British actor Richard Armitage looks darn spiffy in a tux and that's half the battle in playing Batman.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":11,"title":"Richard Armitage"}
Will Smith hasn't had a major hit in awhile. We're just saying.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":12,"title":"Will Smith"}HIDE CAPTIONWhy not this guy for Batman?Josh BrolinJoe Manganiello Idris ElbaChanning TatumMatthew Goode Why not this guy for Batman?Jon HammArmie HammerBenjamin McKenzieRichard ArmitageWill Smith<<<
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12>>>Event.observe(window,'load',function(){if(typeof(cnn_adbptrackpgalimg) == 'function' && typeof(cnnArticleGallery) != 'undefined'){cnn_adbptrackpgalimg(cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[0].image,"Ben Affleck as Batman might not be so bad");}});STORY HIGHLIGHTSCasting of Ben Affleck as Batman has sparked immense backlashSome industry observers think it's not such a bad moveHe's made a career turnaround since he starred in 2003's "Daredevil"
Lewis Wilson is famous for being the first actor to play Batman in live action in 1943's "Batman." He was the youngest and also the least successful of all the Batmen. Click through to see other actors who have played the Caped Crusader of Gotham City. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":true,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":1,"title":"Batman: Lewis Wilson"}
Robert Lowery became the second person to portray the character in the 1949 movie serial, "Batman and Robin." Although he never played the character in another movie, he did guest star on an episode of "The Adventures of Superman." This was the first time a Batman actor and a Superman actor shared the screen.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":2,"title":"Batman: Robert Lowery"}
"Holy smokes, Batman!" Adam West is possibly the best known of the Batmen. His campy, over-the-top portrayal of the Worlds Greatest Detective led to the popularity of the 1966 to 1968 Batman television series and the first full-length feature film, "Batman: The Movie" in 1966. Later West would voice the character in "The New Adventures of Batman" and "Super Friends." cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":3,"title":"Batman: Adam West"}
Twenty years after Adam West's Batman came Michael Keaton in Tim Burton's 1989 "Batman." He played more of a dark, explosive Batman, the opposite of West's goofy type. Keaton's performance received favorable reviews, and he became the first actor to reprise the role in 1992's "Batman Returns" with Danny DeVito as the Penguin. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":4,"title":"Batman: Michael Keaton"}
When the franchise changed directors, it also changed actors. Val Kilmer became one of the more forgettable of the Batmen in 1995's "Batman Forever." Kilmer was described as "childish and impossible" to work with. He was destined to be a one-termed caped crusader and left the Batcave for good, instead of filming "Batman & Robin." cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":5,"title":"Batman: Val Kilmer"}
The handsome, up-and-coming actor George Clooney was cast as the caped crusader in 1997's "Batman & Robin." The film received some of the worst reviews, and Clooney once joked that he helped to kill the franchise. Although the film did nothing to hurt Clooney's career, it frequently ranks among one of the worst films of all time. Pictured is Clooney as Batman and Chris O'Donnell as Robin. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":6,"title":"Batman: George Clooney"}
After the disaster of "Batman & Robin," the franchise was destined to remain a joke. That is until director Christopher Nolan came along to reinvent the role and finally make the Dark Knight, well, dark. Christian Bale became the new Batman in 2005's "Batman Begins," 2008's "The Dark Knight" and finally "The Dark Knight Rises" in 2012. While the films were extremely successful, Bale's voice was considered ridiculous and would get even more gravelly and bizarre throughout the three films. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":7,"title":"Batman: Christian Bale"}Batman: Lewis WilsonBatman: Robert LoweryBatman: Adam WestBatman: Michael KeatonBatman: Val KilmerBatman: George ClooneyBatman: Christian BaleHIDE CAPTION<<<
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