Deadline has Fox Head Kevin Reilly revealing that GOTHAM, the proposed series featuring a young Jim Gordon, will also see the origin stories of a number of Batman’s villains and the evolution of a young Bruce Wayne from age 12 forward.
“We will see how they get to become who they are as Gotham is teetering on the edge. It is an operatic soap that has a slightly larger-than-life quality.”
He also revealed the overall arc of the series will be based on Wayne preparing to take the mantle of The Batman: “The show will arc a young Bruce Wayne from a child (around 12) into the final episode of the series, when he will put on the cape.”
To me, this raises the stakes of the show. Of all superheroes, Batman has the most icon villains. Riddler, Penguin and Catwoman , the three that Reilly mentioned, are among the best known villains in the world. Dropping the ball on these would generate far more criticism than messing around with Solomon Grundy or Poison Ivy. SMALLVILLE certainly brought forth the beginnings of many DC characters over the course of it’s run. Can Showrunner Bruno Heller (THE MENTALIST, ROME) match, or surpass, that show?
Because the overall tone is to be dark and gritty, a fair amount of care will be required with these costumed criminals. They will almost certainly have to contain more realism than a show like SMALLVILLE.