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GOTHAM: Ben McKenzie cast as Detective James Gordon In Fox TV Series

Ben McKenzie Commissioner Gordon

Ben McKenzie cast in Gotham. The casting of Ben McKenzie in Fox’s Gotham TV series answers the question of who will play the central character. Ben McKenzie has been cast as Detective James Gordon.

How Detective Gordon will be portrayed on Gotham:

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In Gotham, Gordon is an idealistic rookie detective for Gotham City Open Police Department’s Homicide Squad, a former college football star and a war hero.

On James Gordon’s comic book incarnation:

Commissioner James “Jim” Worthington Gordon is a fictional character, an ally of Batman who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #27 (May 1939), and was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane. Gordon made his debut in the first panel of this comic, making him the first Batman supporting character to be introduced.

The post-Crisis version of the character was introduced in the 1987 storyline Batman: Year One, written by Frank Miller. In this version, James Worthington Gordon is transferred back to Gotham City after spending more than 15 years in Chicago. A man of integrity, Gordon finds that Batman is his only ally against the mob-controlled administration. One of the most significant differences in this version is that Batman is never deputized and Gordon’s relationship with him is kept out of the public eye whenever possible. It is also added that he is a special forces veteran who is capable in hand-to-hand combat; he retaliates against an intimidation attempt by corrupt fellow officers with equal violence. He is depicted as having an extra-marital affair with a fellow detective, Sarah Essen, due to friction in his marriage. Essen and Gordon correctly deduce Batman’s identity at one point, but never investigate their guess more fully in order to confirm it. Gordon breaks off their affair after being blackmailed by the corrupt Police Commissioner, Gillian B. Loeb.

The 1998 miniseries Gordon of Gotham takes place nearly 20 years prior to the current events of the DC Universe and two months before his arrival in Gotham in Batman: Year One. It reveals that Gordon, during his tenure in Chicago, struggled with his wife over conceiving a child while taking university night classes in criminology. He becomes a minor celebrity after a foiling a late-night robbery attempt. However, after deciding to investigate a corrupt fellow officer, he is assaulted and discredited. Gordon then uncovers evidence of rigging in the city council election and brings down two of his fellow officers, which leads to his commander recommending that he take a detective position opening in Gotham.

It too bad Gordon’s Chicago days are being erased in Gotham along with him being transferred from Chicago to Gotham.

On the people behind the scenes of Gotham:

Gotham is written/exec produced by The Mentalist creator Bruno Heller, with Danny Cannon directing/exec producing for Warner Bros. TV.

On the Gotham TV Series:

Gotham is…based on characters appearing in and published by DC Comics, specifically those of James Gordon and Bruce Wayne, who were created by Bob Kane…The series is scheduled to premiere in the 2014-15 television season.

As originally conceived, the series would have served as a straightforward story of Gordon’s early days on the Gotham City Police force. The idea evolved not only to include the Bruce Wayne character, but will also tell the origin stories of several famed villains, including the Penguin, the Riddler and Catwoman.

Leave your thoughts on Ben McKenzie’s casting in Gotham below in the comments section. For more Gotham photos, videos, and information, visit our Gotham Page, subscribe to us by Email, “follow” us on Twitter, Tumblr, or “like” us on Facebook.

Source: Wikipedia (1, 2), Deadline

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Rollo Tomasi

Rollo Tomasi is a Connecticut-based film critic, TV show critic, news, and editorial writer. He will have a MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University in 2025. Rollo has written over 700 film, TV show, short film, Blu-ray, and 4K-Ultra reviews. His reviews are published in IMDb's External Reviews and in Google News. Previously you could find his work at Empire Movies, Blogcritics, and AltFilmGuide. Now you can find his work at FilmBook.
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