Gotham sounds exciting doesn’t it? A prequel to Batman’s guilt-addled crime-fighting days, focusing on Commissioner Gordon’s efforts to clean up the iconic city’s criminal activity.

BatmanWe can't wait to see what Gotham was like before Batman turned up

Recent information, revealed by Fox Broadcasting Chairman of Entertainment Kevin Reilly at his executive session to the Television Critics Association, indicates that The Joker, The Penguin, The Riddler and Catwoman will all be present in the show, albeit before their elaborate characters and costumes were fully realized.

“The show will arc a young Bruce Wayne from a child (around 12) into the final episode of the series, when he will put on the cape," said Reilly, according to Deadline. Reilly added – on the subject of villains - "We will see how they get to become who they are as Gotham is teetering on the edge."

The series, which comes from Warner Bros TV and The Mentalist creator Bruno Heller, is one of the more exciting additions to 2014’s impressive schedule. Seeing Gotham’s early years a-la Smallville will be an exciting addition to a story strengthened by The Dark Knight trilogy.

“We’re arcing to that because we’re not starting in that world where the villains are in costume,” said Reilly. “You see markers for it that are kind of delicious. You begin to see where the evolution and the eccentricities that become those characters, but you really arc there. We don’t start off with capes and costumes.”

The pre-caped-and-costumed show has a greenlighted pilot, and will go to a writer’s room in February with full commitment to a new series, which will air at the same time as Batman Vs. Superman/ Riley explains that the two entities will be totally separate, on a franchise level, but will be tonally parallel.

“Christopher Nolan’s not a producer. We’re not going to directly access [it], but it’s going to be very organic to that world. There is [a] complete disconnect,” he said.

“Warner Bros. manages the entire franchise and it’s one of their top global franchises of all at this point. There will be an awareness of both and we’ll have to choreograph when they’re in the marketplace, but the productions are not piggybacking on each other.”