Gotham creator Bruno Heller sat down with Entertainment Weekly last week to both answer questions about and to tease the future of the new show, which is being referred to as a “Batman prequel.”

In the interview, Heller reveals that the idea of the show came from the pivotal question, “What if young James Gordon was the detective who investigated the murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents?” The serialized show will explore the world of Gotham before Batman’s arrival and will star Ben Mackenzie of Southland and The O.C. as Det. James Gordon.

As for the other well-known characters of the Batman canon, Heller mentions the show will include the “origin” stories of many villains, including the role that won Heath Ledger a posthumous Oscar. Speaking of the Joker, Heller comments that, “He’s the crown jewel of the Batman villains. He will be brought in with great care and a lot of thought.”

Gotham will air on Monday nights this fall on Fox network.