Gotham’s James Gordon, otherwise known as actor Ben McKenzie, is set to star opposite Aaron Eckhart in the brand new thriller, Live. McKenzie first came to prominence playing Ryan in The O.C. and went on to appear in the crime series Southland. Currently, McKenzie is walking the mean streets of Gotham City attempting to keep a young Bruce Wayne out of trouble but despite his Gotham schedule, has recently begun to make the transition from television to film and is set to appear in Scott Z. Burns’ The Torture Report alongside Adam Driver and Jon Hamm.
Aaron Eckhart is also a name that will be very familiar to Batman fans due to his role as Harvey Dent/Two-Face in Christopher Nolan’s seminal The Dark Knight. Although his turn as Gotham City’s foremost disfigured attorney remains Eckhart’s most recognizable role to date, he has since starred in movies such as I, Frankenstein and played the President of the United States in the Has Fallen franchise.
As revealed by Variety, both men are now set to star in the forthcoming thriller, Live. Steve C. Miller will be directing from a script written by Jeremy Drysdale and Courtney Eaton is also listed as a confirmed cast member. The report also specifies that McKenzie will be on antagonist duty in the film. Set within a two hour time period, Live sees a disgraced cop tasked with rescuing a police commissioner’s kidnapped daughter, with the whole cat and mouse chase being filmed by a young online reporter. Think 24 meets TMZ.
Although Ben McKenzie’s career has largely been television based, the actor is continuing to make strides on the big screen and is seemingly attracting increasingly larger projects. However, it’s interesting that Live will see the actor take on a more villainous role, as McKenzie’s most famous characters have generally been protagonists. Nevertheless, Gotham fans would have gotten a glimpse of McKenzie’s ability to play darker characters at several points in the show when Jim Gordon has either been copied, brainwashed or otherwise influenced by the rogues gallery of Gotham.
It remains to be seen whether or not Ben McKenzie’s blossoming movie career will impact the future of Gotham. The show’s fourth season is almost complete and there’s no definitive word yet on whether the series will get another run. Fox’s chairman spoke positively of Gotham’s chances of renewal but Bruce Wayne actor David Mazouz recently posted an emotional farewell post on social media to mark the end of filming on season 4 which suggested that he wasn’t sure whether or not he’d be returning to the role.
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Live is currently without a release date. More news as it arrives.
Source: Variety