WB Making Pre-Batman ‘Gotham’ Police Series For Fox
With the success of Arrow, the upcoming Flash series, and the continuing popularity of the Batman franchise, it was only a matter of time before some sort of Batman TV series was made. The only wrinkle is that like 2002’s Birds of Prey, this series will have no Batman. Yes, Warner Bros. is making Gotham, a police procedural centered on a younger Commissioner Jim Gordon before he meets Batman. And despite WB making it, Fox has won a bidding war for the series, committing to the series without even asking for a pilot. Gotham is being created by Bruno Heller, who has also created The Mentalist for CBS.
Even though Batman won’t be present in Gotham, the series will still be able to have unusual criminals and supervillains. But I can’t help feeling that WB is missing an opportunity for a slightly stronger series based on an already existing property: Gotham Central, a 00s comic book about Gotham police officers. Though Jim Gordon wasn’t a main character, he was present and his role could have easily been expanded. Plus, I imagine audiences might be more interested if the shadow of Batman loomed over the story, hiding in the shadows and occasionally providing minor influences to how the story played out. Gotham could still be interesting, but I don’t know why they don’t want to use an existing IP like Gotham Central with a similar concept.
Source: Deadline