The second season of Gotham – which has been given a ‘Rise of the Villains’ tagline – is in full swing in the US, and while the show continues to tell the story of Edward Nygma’s transformation into The Riddler, two more bad guys have been cast. Expect to see Benjamin McKenzie facing up against Jurassic World's B.D. Wong as Dr Hugo Strange and House of Cards' Nathan Darrow as Mr Freeze very soon.
B.D. Wong will be bringing one of Batman’s oldest and smartest villains to life according to Comicbook.com, and much like Wong’s Dr. Henry Wu from the Jurassic franchise, Strange will have a passion for genetic improvements. The only difference being he'll be “dedicated to creating the ultimate super human” as opposed to the ultimate super dinosaur. In other words, it’s a canny piece of casting.
TVLine is reporting that Nathan Darrow is taking on Victor Fries aka Mr. Freeze, replacing Arnold Schwarzenegger's unforgettable (for all the wrong reasons) performance as the grief-stricken scientist in 1997’s Batman & Robin. Gotham's executive producer, John Stephens said: “The first time we see Freeze is in December, and then we’re going to be telling a heavy Freeze story in Episodes 12 and 13.”
While some Bat-fans have taken issue with Gotham's drastic divergence from canon, it’s hard to deny the show’s unpredictability and manic energy. Indeed, The Dark Knight has arguably the most colourful and eclectic rogues gallery in comic book history, and showrunner Bruno Heller is wasting no time in bringing them to screen.
In addition to the above casting announcements, Gotham’s sophomore season has already introduced Firefly and is laying the groundwork for the Order of St. Dumas, which has ties to popular villain Azrael. Basically, Gordon has his work cut out for him!
Co-starring Robin Taylor, David Mazouz, Camren Bicondova and Donal Logue, Gotham season 2 is currently airing Monday nights on FOX in the US and will debut in the UK on Channel 5 in 2016.
