Comic Book Casting: The GOTHAM CENTRAL Television Series

Now that The Dark Knight Rises has finally risen into theaters, the first question on any fan’s mind when they leave the theater is, obviously, “what’s next?” Without spoiling the ending of the movie, we already know that both writer/director Christopher Nolan and actor Christian Bale have publicly stated they aren’t doing any more Batman flicks. And for DC to attempt to continue on this storyline sans the two biggest pieces would be a fool’s errand; instead, it might be best to give Batman some time off from the big screen and perhaps wait for the inevitable Justice League movie before recasting the role.

But that doesn’t mean the story is necessarily over.

Gotham’s top cop Jim Gordon has been an integral part of the Batman stories for decades, the recent Nolan films have given him more weight than any adaptation before. What if the decision-makers at Warner Bros. and DC decided to carry on the franchise but take it to television, following the Nolan storyline but also bringing in one of the most celebrated Batman comics in modern history — Gotham Central.

The Concept:

Spinning out of the Nolan trilogy, imagine a Gotham Central television series showing both Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon gone and the men and women of the GCPD trying to pick up the slack. for even when the heroes stop playing, it doesn’t mean those pesky super villains pack up shop and head south. This could mix TV’s most popular dramatic genre — cop stories — with the build up presence that Gotham City has in people’s mind, creating a wonderful launching pad to some great storytelling.

Using the first two arcs of Gotham Central as the skeleton of a first season, it could set-up the key detectives on the case — Montoya, Allen, Driver, Fields and MacDonald. When Fields is killed in the line of duty and Mr. Freeze is left to blame, the remaining force could spend the entire season trying to track Freeze down and deal with cases along the way. All the while the GCPD temp Stacy adding some comic relief and a reader’s perspective on the squad.

The Showrunner:

Crime is a well-used genre in television, but like many things it’s hard to do well. For Gotham Central, I’d bring in veteran showrunner Nick Santora (Prison Break, Breakout Kings, Law & Order) to be able to build up a gripping crime drama that takes advantage of the unique character of Gotham City. He’d have his work cut out for him, so I’d push to include comic writers Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka if at all possible. Although they’re currently on the outs with DC Comics, their resumes are impressive enough that Warner Bros. would do well to bring them in.

The Cast:

Renee Montoya – Rosario Dawson: Renee Montoya is one of the most intriguing characters created in the DCU, owing somewhat to the fact that she was first created in Batman: The Animated Series (like Harley Quinn). Rosario Dawson seems to be bouncing between roles without finding something to really carve her name into, and seeing her step into the shoes of Montoya could be a comic fan’s dream come true.

Crispus Allen – Dennis Haysbert: I admit, Crispus Allen was my favorite character in Gotham Central. With that in mind, I couldn’t think of anyone better to handle that role than the deep-voiced actor Dennis Haysbert. Haysbert has shown his way around a gun in 24 and The Unit, and his on-screen presence could really bring some legitimacy to Gotham Central.

Marcus Driver – Bryan Greenberg: Driver is a hard role to cast for me, but once I started thinking about How To Make It In America star Bryan Greenberg I couldn’t shake it. He has some boyish charm but a harsher center, and I’d love to see him pick up the badge here.

Josephine “Josie Mac” MacDonald – Jessica Lucas: With the above three people already recruited for duty, it’d take someone special to share the screen with them. For that, I’d get Jessica Lucas, who’s been a standout in a number of bad sitcoms like Friends With Benefits recently. She might have to toughen up her image a little bit, but Lucas seems dead-on for Josie Mac.

Mr. Freeze / Dr. Victor Fries – Christopher Lambert: As the big bad of season one, seeing (and hearing) Christopher Lambert as Mr. Freeze seems like solid gold.

Stacy / Magda Apanowicz: You can’t forget Stacy, especially with the great issue where she gives her vantage point on the squad. I’d bring in Kyle XY and Caprica star Magda Apanowicz to fill out this role, and really add some diversity to the cast.

Harvey Bullock – Michael Madsen: You can’t be a Gotham City police story unless you bring in Harvey Bullock. As Montoya’s original partner, I’d love to see Bullock come into the fold as an occasional guest star. Or who knows, perhaps as a temporary addition — all hands on deck, if you will — if they got a particularly bad case.