Additionally, Heller seems confident that the show can step out of the looming shadow of Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, saying:
“Gotham will surpass the Batman movies. The movies are a very rigorous, kind of Germanic take on that world. They’re visually stunning, but not particularly visually pleasurable. I would say this is much more on the street level of Gotham. There’s more people, it’s a more colorful place, it’s a more vivid place, it’s more crowded. The inspiration for me and Danny was New York in the ’70s, because we both remember that as a seminal moment, coming to the city for the first time. This is very much that kind of Gotham — intensely visual and three-dimensional and layered and gritty and dirty and sexy and dangerous. From that point of view — and it’s easy for me to say, I just have to write the thing, Danny and David have to visualize it — but I think you’ll see it’s fabulous.”
The biggest concern surrounding Gotham has been what can be accomplished in a Batman show that doesn’t have Batman. Prequels can often be limiting for the storytellers, and with a story this iconic there are plenty of chances to anger the fanbase or stray too far from the source material. Heller, however, is excited about exploring some new aspects of the franchise and shedding some light on parts of Gotham City and its characters that audiences haven’t seen before.
“Most stories that people tell don’t have Batman in them. You’ve just got to make the story you tell as compelling as it can be.”
“It’s invigorating and expansive how many stories you can tell once you get away from the gravity of Batman. What happens with superheroes is they suck all the air out of the room. You can’t play a scene between two people when there’s a guy in a cape and a mask in the corner of the room. As far as the history goes, people don’t know the ins and outs of it. Even in the well-known stories, there are secrets and backstories that people are not aware of. We also have the pre-iconic villains, like Fish Mooney, played by Jada Pinkett Smith, and those characters that people won’t have seen before.”
Personally, I couldn’t be more excited for Gotham, and am in fact relieved that Batman is being left out of the equation (for now). I think the show has strong potential to tell compelling stories within the DC universe without relying on the Caped Crusader. Plus, Bruce Wayne’s formative years have gone largely unexplored in visual mediums until now, so Gotham stands a chance to dive into some unexplored territory in the Batman mythos.
Tell us, what did you think of what Heller had to say? Do his comments help raise your expectations, or quiet your fears about Gotham? Let us know in the comments below!