Doug Bradley of Hellraiser fame has been cast as the largest shadow in Batman’s life in Gotham Knights: Joe Chill.
The actor has been attached to play the man who murdered Thomas and Martha Wayne in front of their young son, Bruce, setting him on the course to becoming Batman. Gotham Knights Executive Producers James Stoteraux, Natalie Abram, and Chad Fiveash explained their logic in a joint statement: “When casting the iconic role of Joe Chill, arguably the man who created Batman, there was only one name we considered – Doug [Bradley. We] needed an actor with the kind of gravitas that would do justice to such a seminal character in DC Comics canon. And who better to embody the role of the classic Gotham fiend than the man whose legendary portrayal of another classic fiend – Pinhead in the Hellraiser franchise — continues to terrify generations of horror fans?”
Doug Bradley as Joe Chill – Who is Joe Chill and Why Is He Important?
Besides Hellraiser, Bradley has kept active in recent projects such as the CGI Howard Lovecraft film series, the TV series Lore, and the video game Star Wars: The Old Republic – Legacy of The Sith. Bradley will be the third actor to portray Chill in a live action format. He was first portrayed by actor Richard Brake in 2005’s Batman Begins, followed by Steve Earl in the Fox TV series Gotham.
Since debuting in 1939’s Detective Comics #33, Chill has cast as large a shadow over Bruce Wayne as Batman does Gotham’s underworld. Formally named in Batman #47 (July 1948), Pre-Crisis Chill meets his end at the hands of thugs who discover he inadvertently created Batman after Bruce Wayne unmasks himself when he confronts Chill. Post- Crisis Chill, however, is killed in “Batman: Year Two” by The Reaper, a story retconned after Zero Hour. His next appearance was in The New 52, confronted by Batman while he sat in the Moebius Chair. Left alive, but terrified, Chill’s memory of the confrontation was erased after Batman tormented him with what his inmates would do if they discovered his connection to the Dark Knight. Writer Geoff Johns brought him back in his series Batman: The Three Jokers, ailing in health and the selected candidate to next become The Joker. However, these plans are thwarted and Chill remains remorseful for his actions against Bruce Wayne, who is at his side as he passes away.
Bradley is set to debut in the sixth episode of the first season, which will premiere on March 14th on The CW.
This is the official synopsis for the series:
Batman is dead, and a powder keg has ignited Gotham City without the Dark Knight to protect it. In the wake of Bruce Wayne’s murder, his adopted son Turner Hayes (Oscar Morgan) is framed for killing the Caped Crusader, along with the children of some of Batman’s enemies: Duela Doe (Olivia Rose Keegan), aka The Joker’s Daughter, an unpredictable fighter and skilled thief who was born in Arkham Asylum and abandoned by her father, Harper Row (Fallon Smythe), a streetwise and acerbic engineer who can fix anything, and her brother Cullen Row (Tyler DiChiara), a clever transgender teen who is tired of being polite and agreeable.
Official Source – Doug Bradley joins Gotham Knights as Joe Chill | Batman News (batman-news.com)
