‘Gotham’ Showrunner Bruno Heller Speaks About Batman Prequel TV Series Starring Ben McKenzie & Donal Logue! Talks About DC Comics’ ‘Batman: The Killing Joke’ and Teases Joker’s Possible Appearance!

When Fox released the trailer for Gotham, viewers got a taste of what the Batman prequel TV series has to offer. Gotham showrunner Bruno Heller speaks candidly about creating a serialized police drama starring Batman's rogue gallery.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Heller describes the love/hate relationship between Detectives Bullock and Gordon, played by Donal Logue and Ben McKenzie, "Harvey Bullock, for the comic book fans, he's an iconic early Batman character. I always liked him just because he encapsulates the moral ambivalence and corrupt-but-fun quality of Gotham. He's very much a Gotham figure. Gordon is a complicated figure, but he's very much a good guy. He's an old-fashioned American hero. So it's important to pair him with someone who has a darker and funnier side, and someone who personifies that ambivalence of Gotham."

Heller explains how Penguin won't be portrayed like he is in the Batman comics, "A lot of the work was reverse engineering the story to look at what these characters were like when younger. Penguin, for instance, is not a powerful gang leader; he's a gofer for a gangster. It's about giving the world room to grow, but at the same time giving the fun and pleasure and drama of that heightened world."

When asked what his favorite Batman comics are, Heller replies, "I would hate to pick a particular Batman iteration because I would be dismissing others. But for me, The Killing Joke was one of the great ones in the comic books. Obviously the Frank Miller version, The Dark Knight, as well."

When asked if audiences will see Joker in Gotham, Heller teases, "[Joker]'s the crown jewel of the Batman villains. He will be brought in with great care and a lot of thought."

Check out the trailer breakdown of Gotham here. Watch the extended trailer here:

DC Comics seems to be hitting its stride with CW's Arrow and The Flash spinoff. Let's see if the hits keep on coming with Gotham.