After 'Gotham,' Ben McKenzie goes from hero to movie bad guy

Ben McKenzie is looking forward to his next career chapter after "Gotham," both on-screen and behind the camera.

The series that's coming to an end after five years gave McKenzie the chance to write and direct.

The actor says storytelling is a family tradition: His mother is a poet and his uncle in an award-winning playwright.

This image released by Fox shows actor-director Ben McKenzie directing the "13 Stitches" episode of his series "Gotham," which aired on Feb. 14. During the five years he’s starred as Gotham City police detective and future commissioner James Gordon in the Batman prequel, McKenzie also wrote two episodes and directed three others. (Fox via AP)

After "Gotham" airs its finale April 25 on Fox, viewers will be able to catch McKenzie in films including "The Report" and "Live!"

McKenzie says it was "great" to get the chance to play a bad guy in "Live!"

FILE - In this March 26, 2018 file photo, actor Ben McKenzie poses for a portrait in New York to promote his Fox series, "Gotham." During the five years he’s starred as Gotham City police detective and future commissioner James Gordon in the Batman prequel, McKenzie also wrote two episodes and directed three others. (Photo by Taylor JewellInvisionAP)

LUTON, England (AP) — Tom Lockyer, the Premier League player who suffered an onfield cardiac arrest earlier this season, says he is “at peace” with the prospect of having to retire from the sport.

The Luton captain had a defibrillator fitted after collapsing during a game against Bournemouth in December. He had previously collapsed seven months earlier during a game at Wembley Stadium because he suffered atrial fibrillation.

The 29-year-old Lockyer, who recently became a father for the first time, has not given up hope of resuming his playing career. But he accepts that may not be possible.

“I’ve made no secret saying I would love to return to football, but ultimately it would have to come down to someone who’s a cardiologist or a specialist who has done full research into what has gone on and if it could happen again, because we’ve got a little girl now and she takes priority,” Lockyer told BBC Radio Wales.

“I would love to play football again, of course I would, it’s my life but if it’s the case that I can’t, then I’m at peace with that as well."

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Luton Town's Tom Lockyer, centre, and team-mate Elijah Adebayo applaud the fans following the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Luton Town at Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, England, Saturday April 27, 2024. Tom Lockyer, the Premier League player who suffered an onfield cardiac arrest earlier this season, says he is “at peace” if he is forced to retired from the sport. (Nick Potts/PA via AP)