Jada Pinkett Smith is returning to the small screen to co-star opposite Southland’s Ben McKenzie in Fox’s Gotham, says The Hollywood Reporter.
Smith will play Fish Mooney, an imposing, hotheaded, and notoriously sadistic gangster boss and nightclub owner with street smarts and almost extra-sensory abilities to read people like an open book, making her someone that should not be crossed. Mooney is also the boss of Oswald Cobblepot, also known as The Penguin, who is played by The Walking Dead alum, Robin Lord Taylor. In Gotham, The Penguin is a low-level psychopath who hides his sadistic lust for power behind a polite demeanor.
The Batman prequel, Gotham is an origin tale centering on DC Comics fixture commissioner James Gordon (Southland’s Ben McKenzie) and the villains that made Gotham famous.
Smith most recently played in a small-screen role as the head of a hospital for three seasons in TNT’s medical drama, Hawthorne.
In addition, Smith has starred in TV’s A Different World, Set It Off, Scream 2, Ali, the Matrix, and Madagascar franchises.
The Mentalist showrunner Bruno Heller is writing and executive producing the Warner Bros. Television drama pilot, which has a series commitment attached along with CSI and Nikita Danny Cannon who will directing and executive producing the pilot.
Smith joins a cast that also includes Sons of Anarchy’s Donal Logue as Gordon’s partner and mentor Harvey Bullock; Zabryna Guevara (as their boss at the Gotham City Police Department homicide unit, Captain Essen); Sean Pertwee (Bruce Wayne’s loyal servant Alfred); and Erin Richards (Barbara Kean, Gordon’s love interest). Casting for the young Bruce Wayne has not yet been announced.
Smith is repped by Paradigm, Overbrook Entertainment and Sloane Offer.
The Joker, Riddler and Catwoman are expected to be part of Gotham, with the plan ultimately being for the series to end with Bruce Wayne putting on the cape and becoming Batman.