We haven't heard much about FOX's Batman-avoidant 'Gotham' TV series since the announcement of its order the night Marvel premiered 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,' but with development already underway, it seems a few key timeframe details have emerged to explain why the Caped Crusader won't show his cowl in FOX's 'Gotham.'

Bleeding Cool reports from a source at Warner Bros. that the pilot script for the DC-set TV series chronicling the early days of Commissioner James Gordon will see a bit of history from the Bat-universe, as “the pilot script for GOTHAM has Detective Jim Gordon trying to solve a very famous double homicide.”

Granted, the double homicide in question seems like a clear reference to Thomas and Martha Wayne, an important connection to establish in the pilot that would understandably explain the absence of Batman from the series, though nothing has been officially confirmed. As initially reported by the site, the double homicide could also potentially (though less likely) reference a line in the final scene of Christopher Nolan's 'Batman Begins,' in which Gordon referred to a double homicide performed by a then-unknown theatrical villain with a very famous calling card.

Given a straight-to-series order, the new Bat-drama will explore “the origin stories of Commissioner James Gordon and the villains that made Gotham famous,” with its pilot to be written and executive produced by ‘The Mentalist”s Bruno Heller, along with Warner Bros. Television. It remains unknown if ‘Gotham’ will have any ties to Ben Affleck‘s take on the Dark Knight for ‘Batman Vs. Superman.’

What say you? Would you forgive Batman's absence from FOX's 'Gotham' TV series if the pilot began with a young Jim Gordon investigating the murder of Bruce Wayne's parents? How would you like to see the new Bat-series navigate the DC universe without the Dark Knight?

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