AceShowbiz -

Juicy details of FOX's upcoming series were unveiled during the network's Television Critics Association press tour panel in Pasadena. At the event, FOX Entertainment chairman Kevin Reilly built up anticipation for "Gotham" by dishing on the appearances of more characters from the comic books.

While the show will explore the origin stories of Commissioner James Gordon, it will not be solely about him. Instead, fans can expect the presence of Bruce Wayne as Reilly confirmed, "We will arc a young Bruce Wayne from a child" of about 12 until "the final episode of the series when he puts on the cape," much like "Smallville" did with Superman.

Moreover, the network's licensing deal with Warner Bros. allows the show to feature Batman's famous villains like the Joker, the Riddler, Catwoman and Penguin. "This is all of the classic Batman characters," Reilly said. "It follows the arc of how they all became what they were. I've read the script its really good. It's going to be this operatic soap that has a slightly larger-than-life quality."

After the panel, Reilly explained to a group of reporters that "Gotham" "is not some adjunct companion series. This is the Batman franchise, just backing it up [in chronology]." Asked if the show would not feature the characters, particularly the villains, in familiar costumes, he said, "We're arcing to that."

"We're not starting in that world where the villains are in costume. You see markers for it that are delicious you see where the evolution and eccentricity where they become those characters," he explained. "We don't start off with capes and costumes."

"The Mentalist" creator Bruno Heller develops the one-hour drama. He executive produces and writes the pilot, which in the process of casting.