9. Gotham TV Series Casts Jim Gordon, Harvey Bullock, Penguin, and More
Fox's Jim Gordon-centric Batman prequel series Gotham is picking up steam, casting several main roles this week including Gordon himself, along with his partner Harvey Bullock, fiance Barbara, Oswald Cobblepot, and Alfred Pennyworth. Southland and The O.C. star Ben McKenzie has been cast as Gordon, who is at the stage only a detective and new to the Gotham City Police Department. Many have balked about McKenzie's casting thanks to his role on the O.C., but the actor has come a long way since acting in the teen drama, and his role in Southland absolutely proves he has what it takes to don the mustache of the iconic future Commissioner. Donal Logue, who was originally rumored for the role of Gordon before debunking the news himself, has been cast as Gordon's cigar-chomping dirty-cop partner, Harvey Bullock. Bullock is described as "Gordon's partner and mentor, the rough-around-the-edges Detective Harvey Bullock plays loose with police procedure, but he gets results... and he does it with old-school, forceful panache." The other four roles have been filled by relatively unknown actors; which was to be expected. Sean Pertwee (Event Horizon, Equilibrium) has been cast as Bruce's trusted butler and confidant Alfred Pennyworth, described as "a tough-as-nails ex marine" who is "fiercely protective of a young Bruce Wayne." Meanwhile, our first villain casting comes in the form of fan-favorite Oswald Cobblepot, AKA The Penguin, who will be played by Robin Lord Taylor (Cold Comes the Night, The Walking Dead). Cobblepot is reffered to as "a man with the brains of a chess grandmaster and the morals of a jackal... hides his sadistic lust for power behind an exquisitely polite demeanor." As long as he's not as gross as Danny DeVito's Penguin, Taylor should be a good fit. Rounding out the casting are Erin Richards (The Quiet Ones) as Gordon's fiance, Barbara Kean, and Zabryna Guevara (Pariah) as Captain Essen of the GCPD. Now all we need is to learn who will play the ten-year-old future caped crusader, who will reportedly
not don the cape and cowl until the end of the series.