He is the terror! He is the night! He is… really, really cranky, because he didn’t take his nap this morning!
Coming Soon reports that Fox is looking to cast “a 10-year-old Bruce Wayne” for their upcoming direct-to-series drama, “Gotham,” based on the iconic superhero Batman and his equally iconic hometown of Gotham City. The series follows “the origin stories of Commissioner James Gordon and the villains that made Gotham City famous,” according to TV Show Auditions’ notice on the search for Bruce Wayne. Furthermore, the casting notification service states that the pilot episode begins production next March, and “will center on Gotham City PD rookie homicide detective James Gordon who investigates the double murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne.”
Until now, little was known about “Gotham,” beyond the show’s use of Gordon as a lead character, rather than the Caped Crusader. Now, not only do we know that Bruce Wayne has a part to play in the series, we also know a bit about the story. Of course, several questions remain. Let’s take a minute to address a few of them:
1. How Important is Bruce?
Is he glorified fan-service for the “Gotham” pilot, or is he a major player in the series as it rolls forward? The death of Bruce Wayne’s parents is the defining moment in the future Batman’s life, and an event that’s rife for exploration in a long-form, small-screen story. But how much will “Gotham” rely on Bruce as an on-screen character in furthering that story? Will the drama focus more on Gordon’s investigation, or will mini-Bruce have an extensive role to play here as well?
2. Will Little Bruce Have Bat-itude?
We know this kid will grow up to become Batman. He can’t just be another whiney television brat. He needs to be someone we believe will become the world’s greatest detective, and a physical specimen of the highest order, among other things. In other words, if Fox isn’t planning on presenting young Bruce as a true badass-in-the-making, they’re doing it wrong. Our advice: look at Damian Wayne from the comics as an ideal template for how to make mini-Bruce rock on “Gotham.”
3. Who Killed The Waynes?
As mentioned above, the double-homicide of Thomas and Martha Wayne is the inciting incident that puts their son Bruce on a one-way collision course with crime-fighting destiny. It’s a crime that shakes an already crime-ridden Gotham City to its core. Just about every Batman story has explored the Wayne murders in some way, shape or form, and “Gotham” will be no exception. The question is, how much will the show deal with this tragedy? Will Gordon arrest Joe Chill by the end of the pilot, and that will be that? Or is there a deeper mystery at play, something that will unfold over the course of the first season, and possibly beyond?
Are you excited for Bruce Wayne to head to “Gotham,” or would you rather the series avoid the Batman-in-the-making? Let us know in the comments below!
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