Early Reactions to ‘Gotham’ & ‘The Flash’; David Nutter Talks Directing ‘Flash’ Pilot
We have to wait another two years for the release of
Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice, which will be the next chapter in what is evidently planned as
one massive story leading into a full-on
Justice League team-up. In the meantime, network television will see several live-action adaptations of DC Comics properties debut this yearalongside The CW’s hit series
Arrow, which is entering its third season.
One of the most unique of hotly anticipated of these is FOX’s
Gotham, from executive producer Bruno Heller (
Rome,
The Mentalist). Planned as the origin story of longtime
Batman ally James Gordon (Ben McKenzie), we meet the future commissioner as a young detective under the mentorship of Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue) as he faces down younger versions of perennial Bat-villains like the Penguin a.k.a. Oswald Cobblepot (Robin Lord Taylor) alongside burgeoning crime boss Fish Mooney (Jada Pinkett Smith).
The pilot episode recently premiered at L.A. Screenings along with a host of other shows seeking international buyers, and
THR brings us the first reaction. Sarah Wright, the head of acquisitions for BSkyB (British Sky Broadcasting) called the
Gotham pilot:
“A smart origins story, beautifully produced with a strong cast.”
It may be stating the obvious, but the show’s chances to pick up audiences overseas is due to the strong selling point of seeing this fan-beloved universe from a fresh perspective. According to Warner Bros. president of Worldwide TV Distribution Jeffrey Schlesinger,
“Broadcasters look at [Gotham] as something that has built-in name recognition.”
While the positive early reaction to
Gotham is heartening for fans who have been looking forward to an episodic, small-screen rendering of the
Batman universe, this early report is unfortunately short on details. Meanwhile, we have a slew of different – and equally positive – reactions to The CW’s
Arrow spinoff
The Flash, courtesy of
CBM.
We’ve already seen the strong
extended trailer for
The Flash, and we now have early praise for the pilot fromsome notable names, including
Daredevil comic bookwriter Mark Waid, IGN critic Eric Goldman, Executive Director of TV Communications at Marvel Entertainment and Marvel comic book writer Jonathan Hickman (
Fantastic Four). Check out some of the tweets below:
Arune Singh @arune Follow So,THE FLASH pilot is exciting, optimistic and a ton of fun. Fantastic ending too. Very much what you'd expect from a Flash TV show. I'm in.
9:00 AM - 31 May 2014
Jonah Weiland @jonahweiland Follow I had high expectations for The Flash pilot, but that went FAR beyond what I expected. @grantgust nails it, carries the show well.
Eric Goldman @EricIGN Follow Watched my first new series pilot today. The Flash, naturally. There is an awwwwesome DC nod I didn’t expect.
Mark Waid @MarkWaid Follow
Not only is the #Flash pilot EXCELLENT, but (for this) the dead-mom retcon doesn't grate. Great show, and Tom Cavanagh is astounding.
Damian Holbrook @TVGMDamian Follow
ok @CW_TheFlash pilot is a blast---A+ effects, a great lead in Grant Gustin & a WHOLE lot to love for the @DCComics
fans. #TheFlash
Alan Sepinwall @sepinwall Follow
And the early front runner for Pilot I'm Most Excited To See Ep 2 Of: "Flash." Terrific.
It’s particularly interesting to see Mark Waid – who has been incredibly critical of DC in recent years,
perhaps most famously with Man of Steel – and Arune Singh – who works for the other team – give very positive reviews to this DC property. Could this be the superhero TV show that unites all corners of comic book fandom?
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