If you thought the past three seasons of “Gotham” were twisted, you haven’t seen anything yet.
The Batman origin story, which is filmed in the city, is heading to a crucial peak, said executive producer Danny Cannon.
“Basically season four is about going crazy bananas,” Cannon told reporters at New York Comic Con on Sunday. “And out of that, Gotham will need a true hero. Before that hero could exist, we have to like, burn down the city, basically.”
Viewers have spent the past three seasons watching Det. Jim Gordon take on a rogues gallery of demented villains in a desperate battle to keep Gotham City (a fictional version of New York City) safe while a young Bruce Wayne struggles to find his way after the murder of his parents.
Now teenage Bruce is testing out his fighting skills as a vigilante, donning an early version of his iconic Batman suit.
“The writer’s room is on fire this year,” said Cory Michael Smith, who plays Edward Nygma/The Riddler.
One of the surprises in store for this season is an unlikely alliance between Nygma, Dr. Leslie Thompkins (Morena Baccarin) and Butch Gilzean/Solomon Grundy (Drew Powell).
“It’s the dream team you didn’t know you needed,” Powell laughed.
The three get together in The Narrows, a seedy, underground society in Gotham which hosts a brutal fight club.
“There’s a lot of fighting, a lot of blood,” Baccarin said. “I’m the doctor there.”
Baccarin said Thompkins is trying to help people after a brutal last season which found her infected with a rage-inducing virus and widowed at the hand of her former love, Gordon (who saved her from her murderous husband).
Meanwhile, Grundy, who has been resurrected in the swamp after being shot in the head at the end of last season, forgets his previous hatred of Nygma and the three of them end up at the fight club.
“It works out surprisingly well,” Smith added.
This season also sees star Ben McKenzie, who plays Gordon, take a turn behind the camera to write and direct an episode. He and Baccarin, who got married last June at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, joked that he worked on the script during their honeymoon.
Unlike the shifting alliances on the show, the cast is a close-knit group.
“We really love to be together,” Powell said. “I do not take that for granted because it doesn’t always happen in our business.”
On TV: “Gotham” airs at 8 p.m. Thursdays on Fox/5
