Casting on Gotham, the upcoming young Jim Gordon/very young Bruce Wayne series, is really starting to move along. We are at that point where this is a show that is happening, so expect news on it… pretty much constantly for a while.
This time that news comes in the form of a ton of casting announcements.
Det. Gordon (played by Southland‘s Ben McKenzie) picked up some allies and an enemy today.
Robin Lord Taylor, who you might remember from his one appearance on The Walking Dead or probably won’t remember from his four different roles on two Law & Orders, will be playing Oswald Cobblepot (you know, the Penguin), who’s described as having “the brains of a chess grandmaster and the morals of a jackal, Oswald Cobblepot is a low-level psychopath for gangster Fish Mooney who hides his sadistic lust for power behind an exquisitely polite demeanor.”
Erin Richards (three episodes of the UK Being Human, two episodes of Merlin and not much else you might have seen her in) will be playing Barbara Kean. “A sophisticated emergency room doctor, Barbara is the fiancée of James Gordon, joyful but with an edge of vulnerability. She stands by her future husband…which can be difficult in a world as corrupt as Gotham.”
Burn Notice‘s Zabryna Guevara (who also played four parts on two Law & Orders, weird) is taking on the role of Captain Essen. “Gordon’s boss at the GCPD Homicide Squad, Captain Essen balances the two worlds of police and politics with a Machiavellian skill that’s as much corporate litigator as cop.” Uh oh, Sarah Essen? Countdown to the illicit love triangle.
Sean Pertwee (most recognizable to our readers for his prolific voice work, his roles in Event Horizon and Equilibrium and, well, being the Third Doctor’s son) will be taking care of tiny Batman as Alfred Pennyworth. “A tough-as-nails ex-marine from East London, Alfred Pennyworth has loyally served the Waynes. Now, in the wake of their tragic deaths, he’s fiercely protective of the young Bruce Wayne.”
What do you think? Are they smart to go with this cast of mostly-unknowns? (Keep in mind how few of the stars of of Arrow you knew going in.) And the ones that we are familiar with are pretty safe choices. Personally, I actually really like Sean Pertwee as a young(ish) Alfred.
