Harvey Bullock

Started by BatmAngelus, Fri, 17 Jan 2014, 20:35

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Earlier this week, Latino Review reported that actor Donal Logue had been offered the role of Jim Gordon for the show Gotham.  Logue went on twitter and denied it, saying that the Gordon part was for a younger actor.

Today, though, Latino Review has corrected their original report:
QuoteWhen I originally got the tip from my source that Donal Logue got the offer, I made error and assumed it was for the Gordon part. I was wrong. My fault. I apologize. What Donal Logue actually got the offer was for Det. Harvey Bullock who is in his 40s and described as Gordon's mentor in the pilot. Again, my apologies to the readers because sometimes, in the race to be first with a scoop, I didn't bother to ask for which part which was pretty amateur and stupid on my part. As they say, assumption is the mother of all screwups as I just proved. Won't happen again. So Donal Logue did in fact get an offer but for another part and not Gordon. Hope this clears things up.
http://latino-review.com/2014/01/exclusive-donal-logue-offered-commissioner-gordon-part-gotham/

If true, this would be the first live action version of Harvey Bullock.  Logue is a better fit for Bullock than Gordon anyway, but we'll have to see how this "Bullock-as-Gordon's-mentor" plays out since that does feel like a change in the dynamic.
That awkward moment when you remember the only Batman who's never killed is George Clooney...

To tell you the truth I'd rather the original voice actor from the animated series played Harvey. While he doesn't quite look like Harvey you just can't beat that brilliant voice he brought to the character. Tough and hilarious sounding at the same time.

I see that actor pop up in movies from time to time. Even playing an irritating airport cop in Die Hard 2.

It's confirmed. Donal Logue has been cast as Harvey Bullock.

Quote"Jim Gordon's partner and mentor, the rough-around-the-edges Detective Harvey Bullock plays loose with police procedure, but he gets results ... and he does it with old-school, forceful panache."
http://uk.ign.com/articles/2014/02/12/donal-logue-cast-as-harvey-bullock-in-gotham

I appreciate the casting and the opportunity to finally see Bullock in live-action, after all the pseudo-Bullocks we've seen like Eckhart and 'Batman Begins' version of Flass, but it bothers me that this show isn't taking the perfect opportunity to do a Commissioner Gordon story inspired by 'Batman: Year One'.  The only significant cops at the start of Gordon's career should be Commissioner Loeb and Flass.  And why is Bullock a lot older than Gordon?  Since when has Bullock been Gordon's 'mentor'?
Johnny Gobs got ripped and took a walk off a roof, alright? No big loss.

While it's an odd change at first glance, I do think using Essen as Gordon's superior, Bullock as the one who shows him the ropes, and Cobblepot as the main mobster are more interesting, appropriate choices for a longrunning series than if they stuck strictly to Year One and used Loeb, Flass, and Falcone.  Essen and Bullock have been in a ton more stories and have a lot more material to draw from.

My speculation is that Bullock could have a Flass-type role at first, judging from Logue's comments in a recent interview.
Quote"He might be pretty morally reprehensible," the star said of Bullock. "Harvey Bullock, he definitely has walked on both sides... There's a morally ambiguous world that he runs in."
http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/news/a551135/gothams-donal-logue-teases-morally-reprehensible-harvey-bullock.html
I think he will undergo a similar character arc as his original, Pre-Crisis version, from working for the bad guys to becoming loyal to Gordon.
That awkward moment when you remember the only Batman who's never killed is George Clooney...