Fox's Gotham — a potential new television series for the 2014-15 season — was originally described as the origin story of Commissioner Jim Gordon and the villains who made Batman's gritty and dark hometown famous, but no one knew if the iconic Caped Crusader himself would actually make an appearance.
Well, the Television Critics Association winter press tour, Kevin Reilly, Fox's entertainment chairman, not only revealed that Batman would be part of Gotham, but took things one step further. "The final episode of the series will be Bruce Wayne putting on the cape," he said. Wayne himself will be around "12 or so" when the series begins. "This is an origin story," said Reilly. No casting has been announced for Bruce Wayne or Jim Gordon.
In addition to confirming Bruce Wayne as part of the series, Reilly announced that the Riddler, the Penguin, the Joker, and Catwoman would also be part of Gotham's rogue's gallery. Thanks to studio Warner Bros. Television's close corporate relationship with DC Comics, there will never be a question of whether Gotham can use a character within the show, given that they hold all television rights to the characters.
The one-hour drama comes from Bruno Heller, who previously created CBS' The Mentalist and HBO's Rome. A pilot for Gotham has been ordered and writers' room staffing is expected to begin in February, with a series order looking pretty much like a lock at this point. (How many episodes would be ordered is still unclear at this point, though Reilly felt as though Warner Bros. Television would want 22 episodes.) Reilly described Gotham as being very similar in tone and feel to the Christopher Nolan movies.
Superhero origin stories are nothing new to television, with Smallville being the most notable, but the format seems to be having a bit of a renaissance right now given the success of The CW's Arrow, which is potentially launching a Flash spin-off, and a long-gestating Wonder Woman series that's been repeatedly delayed.