Last week, DC Entertainment gave the Batman community a shocking yet nostalgic trailer for Gotham’s Dark Knight. What appeared to be a possible reboot of Batman The Animated Series is the dark chapter of Batman, Caped Crusader. Producer of the original animated series Bruce Timm returns to expand on Batman’s early hero nights. Here’s what the trailer reveals about the show’s concept and the dangers we will witness.
Bruce Timm’s Legacy
When Adam West’s Batman ended in 1968, Hannah-Barbera began experimenting with him in animation. During this time, Bruce Timm grew up watching and reading The New Adventures of Batman, then studied animation in 1981. When the opportunity came to produce a Batman cartoon for Warner Bros, Timm took inspiration from Hanna-Barbera’s cartoonist Alex Toth for his simple hero designs. The series was released in 1992 as Batman The Animated Series.
TV critics and teenagers fell in love with the noir essence of Gotham’s hero. He was animated with a sharper outline, a lowly voice that struck fear into criminals and kept his word to never kill a criminal, even if they committed their worst sin. Bruce Wayne was no longer seen as the wealthy man who fought crime. He becomes a hero who tries to understand a villain’s motive before they are put into prison for life. After his success with Batman, Bruce Timm later produced his next-generation, Batman Beyond with high-schooler Terry McGinnis.
Batman The Caped Crusader
On June 26th, DC’s official YouTube channel revealed the return of the giant bat hero roaming through Gotham encountering a new threat: Gotham’s authorities who see his actions as a disturbance and new villains who will challenge Batman’s justice. When Empire Magazine asked about the concept of Batman Caped Crusader, Bruce Timm replied:
“In this story, it’s not Year One Batman. It’s more like Week Two. I wanted him to be more weird and spooky. You would feel uncomfortable if you were stuck in the room with him, even if you were Alfred.”
The trailer featured a few returning villains including the Two-Face Harvey Dent, the Penguin, Catwoman, and Harley Quinn. What captured viewers was Batman’s behavior around police officers as he drove his Batmobile through a blockade. The show appears to be aiming for a more mature audience when another scene shows two dead men in between steam pipes.
Who’s Voicing Batman?
In Batman The Animated Series and Beyond, Kevin Conroy voiced the caped crusader since 1992. Unfortunately, his legendary voice passed away on November 10th, 2022 from colon cancer. Another voice that needed to be replaced was Harley Quinn her voice actress, Arleen Sorkin who passed away from pneumonia combined with sclerosis, a year after Conroy’s death. Bruce Timm decided that Batman Caped Crusader would have a brand new cast with both veterans and new actors to take on the roles of the Batman characters.
During this time, there are only 4 confirmed roles. However, on the IMBD page, 15 people have been chosen to be a part of the new Batman pre-sequel. For now, we’ll only focus on Batman and Harley Quinn. Voicing Batman will be newcomer Hamish Linklater (The Midnight Mass) who was chosen for his Bruce Wayne impression as many people can do a great Batman voice. For Harley, voicing veteran Jamie Chung has given her a softer and creepier voice fitting her new black-and-yellow jumpsuit.
Where Will Caped Crusade Air?
Batman Caped Crusader will air on Aug. 1st on Amazon Prime Video. The show will debut worldwide with 10 episodes planned for the first season. Join Batman as he faces Gotham while facing the consequences of the law and the villains who threaten the peace. Will he bring his enemies closer while Gotham’s police force attempts to arrest him? Stay tuned on DC Newsletter.
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