From the looks of the promos, FOX's “Gotham” is going for a gritty tone not unlike that of the “Dark Knight” series – a comparison star Ben McKenzie welcomes.
“Yeah, it's similar,” said McKenzie when I brought up the comparison. “There are some differences which are sort of hard to explain until you see it. But yeah, very much similar in the sense that it's entirely character based. It's entirely realistic in the sense of – or a heightened realism – in the sense that people are not, people do not have superpowers. They do not, you know, put on a cape and fly off. It is a very bizarre world they're living in, but it's very realistic and it has its own set of rules.”
Luckily for the former “Southland” star, he didn't have to fight for the central role of future Commissioner James Gordon in the Batman prequel series, as creator Bruno Heller (“The Mentalist”) envisioned the character with him in mind. Nevertheless, he had some anxieties about taking on such an iconic character. To find out how he overcame them – and to hear why he finds people who don't like “Batman” a little peculiar – click on the video above for the full interview.
“Gotham” premieres September 22 on FOX.