As production for the third season of Gotham goes into full swing, casting news is once again the talk of the town. The latest tidbit has already sparked much discussion as the iconic character of Poison Ivy has been recast as Maggie Geha (Ted 2, The Rewrite) will take over for Claire Foley.
Expect the transition to be given an onscreen explanation, as teased by Fox’s character breakdown:
Ivy’s unlikely transformation is due to a brush with one of Hugo Strange’s creatures, last seen escaping into the Gotham night at the end of Season 2. Following an encounter with a monster from Indian Hill, Ivy Pepper finds herself reborn, and one step closer to the DC villain she is destined to become: Poison Ivy. Now a 19-year-old woman who’s harnessed the full power of her charms, she sets her sights on Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz).
Previously known as Pamela Isley in every single previous appearance across all forms of media, the character was rechristened “Ivy Pepper” in one of Gotham’s first exercises in being far less than subtle. She was originally intended to be more of a contemporary for Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle, as actress Claire Foley was closer to the ages of series regulars David Mazouz and Camren Bicondova. But now, it seems the show’s producers would want her to play a larger part in the grand scheme of Season 3, hence the pseudo-scientific acceleration of her age and early turn towards the villainous.
One part of the aforementioned breakdown that should be examined is that of “she sets her sights on Bruce Wayne.” In all likelihood, this means she has some sort of bone to pick with him and (hopefully) not that she intends to pursue him romantically. Her now being 19-years-old would make for a bizarre situation considering that Bruce is still a minor.
Gotham returns with new episodes this fall on Fox.
