DC to Debut Two New ‘Batman’ Animated Features in 2014
With the announcement of the long-awaited Batman/Superman crossover film, San Diego Comic-Con 2013 is shaping up to be quite the event for the Caped Crusader. While such immense news already has fans of Batman (and DC Comics in general) in a giddy mood, an announcement from DC’s well-regarded animation wing may solidify this as a banner weekend indeed.
Last night, DC hosted a premiere showing of their newest animated feature, Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, followed by a panel discussion with the audience. During this panel, it was revealed that Warner Bros. will release two new, full-length Batman animated films in 2014 – Batman: Assault on Arkham andSon of the Batman.
Batman on Film shares the news from the panel that Son of the Batman and Assault on Arkham will be the next DC animated features after next year’s Justice League: War. Given the current production timeline, the two movies will likely debut in the second half of 2014.
Son of the Batman will adapt the storyline “Batman and Son,” originally written by Grant Morrison (All-Star Superman) and illustrated by Andy Kubert in 2006. The story arc kicked off Morrison’s tenure as Batman’s primary writer – a tenure that will finally wrap up after seven years next month. In this premiere arc, a newly optimistic Bruce Wayne is confronted by Talia al Ghul, who reveals that the two actually conceived a son together over ten years ago – Damian Wayne.
Already a trained assassin (not to mention arrogant and rude), Damian’s attempts to connect with his estranged father led to various extremely violent misunderstandings. Nonetheless, Damian would eventually take up the mantle and cape of Robin.
Damian became something of a divisive figure among Batman fandom, engendering equal amounts of adoration and hatred. Followers of the character cited the pleasing dichotomy between the usually cheerful Robin persona and a child whose every line is spoken like a megalomaniacal aristocrat. Damian’s detractors likened him to Scrappy Doo – a cynical gimmick conceived only to boost sales. Despite this division among readers, Damian became a well-entrenched part of the Batman mythos, and it makes sense for DC to further cement that status with the focus of a full animated feature.
So far, the only thing known about Batman: Assault on Arkham is that it will pull its inspiration from/tie into the smash-hit video game series originally developed by Rocksteady Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive. The most obvious route for the film to take would be to directly adapt the first game in the series,Batman: Arkham Asylum (which was itself very loosely based on the 1990 graphic novel Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth – which was written once again by Grant Morrison).
However, the movie could also be directly linked to the upcoming Batman: Arkham Origins, set to release on October 25th, 2013 – which would be the kind of cross-media synergy DC likes to capitalize on these days. Of course, Assault on Arkham could be neither of these things, instead taking cues from the entirety of the well-regarded series.
So far, we know nothing about the cast and crew behind the two announced features. Nonetheless, DC has a more-than-decent track record when it comes to their animated films – and it sounds as if they have ambitious plans for both Son of Batman and Batman: Assault on Arkham. Keep an eye on Screen Rant as we learn more about the two potentially exciting properties.
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Son of the Batman and Batman: Assault on Arkham will fly onto DVD and Blu-Ray in 2014.
Source: Batman on Film
For a guy who looks eternally young, you might be surprised to learn Batman is 75 this year. The classic comic book character has grown from his simple origins in 1939′s "Detective Comics #27" into a global icon, a movie star, and one of the most recognizable fictional characters ever. So with that in mind, what can we expect from his landmark celebration? Though the year is still young, there’s already enough planned to make sure that 2014 will be The Year of Batman:
Movies
Unlike Superman, who got a movie ("Man of Steel") for his anniversary last year, Batman will be remarkably absent from screens for his 75th. But that doesn’t mean we won’t get a glimpse of world’s greatest detective in theaters. With "Batman vs. Superman" hitting on July 17, 2015, we’ll almost definitely get to see a teaser featuring Ben Affleck’s take on the caped crusader before the year is out. And if we were betting men, we’d say there’s a good chance a Batman solo feature with Affleck in the lead will also be announced before 2015, because Warner Brothers isn’t going to leave that money lying on the table.
Unlike Superman, who got a movie ("Man of Steel") for his anniversary last year, Batman will be remarkably absent from screens for his 75th. But that doesn’t mean we won’t get a glimpse of world’s greatest detective in theaters. With "Batman vs. Superman" hitting on July 17, 2015, we’ll almost definitely get to see a teaser featuring Ben Affleck’s take on the caped crusader before the year is out. And if we were betting men, we’d say there’s a good chance a Batman solo feature with Affleck in the lead will also be announced before 2015, because Warner Brothers isn’t going to leave that money lying on the table.
TV
Technically, you won’t see Batman on FOX’s 2014 premiering series "Gotham." Instead, the show created by "The Mentalist’s" Bruno Heller will follow Batman’s best bud James Gordon before he was a Commissioner, battling the evils of Gotham City all by himself. However, the first episode reportedly involves Gordon trying to solve one of Gotham’s most notorious murders, the killing of Thomas and Martha Wayne. That means we’ll get to see a young, ten-year-old Bruce Wayneon the show… And we expect plenty of winking jokes about bats.
Technically, you won’t see Batman on FOX’s 2014 premiering series "Gotham." Instead, the show created by "The Mentalist’s" Bruno Heller will follow Batman’s best bud James Gordon before he was a Commissioner, battling the evils of Gotham City all by himself. However, the first episode reportedly involves Gordon trying to solve one of Gotham’s most notorious murders, the killing of Thomas and Martha Wayne. That means we’ll get to see a young, ten-year-old Bruce Wayneon the show… And we expect plenty of winking jokes about bats.
Video Games
Our guess that "Batman: Arkham Origins" would be releasing a Mr. Freeze based downloadable story extension seems to have borne fruitthis week. So if you’re playing the game, you’ll have that to look forward to, a chance to see how Mr. Freeze and Batman battled for the first time.
Our guess that "Batman: Arkham Origins" would be releasing a Mr. Freeze based downloadable story extension seems to have borne fruitthis week. So if you’re playing the game, you’ll have that to look forward to, a chance to see how Mr. Freeze and Batman battled for the first time.
But with a new game in the critically acclaimed, best-selling "Arkham" series coming every two years, we’re expecting that either we’ll have an announcement of a 2015 releasing sequel… Or possibly even a new game hitting before the end of the year, as studio Warner Brothers Montreal (who released "Arkham Origins") is alternating development with studio Rocksteady in order to get the games out more frequently. Fingers crossed on the latter.
Comics
On January 8th, DC Comics kicks off the celebration with a new version of "Detective Comics #27." The retelling is written by Brad Meltzer, and drawn by Bryan Hitch (two names well known in the comic book community), as well as featuring new stories from authors and artists most associated with Mr. Wayne and company.
On January 8th, DC Comics kicks off the celebration with a new version of "Detective Comics #27." The retelling is written by Brad Meltzer, and drawn by Bryan Hitch (two names well known in the comic book community), as well as featuring new stories from authors and artists most associated with Mr. Wayne and company.
Then later this spring DC will launch a weekly Batman series called "Batman Eternal," written by current Bat-scribes Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, John Layman, and more. The title will feature Batman, of course, but also his entire cast of characters, from Batgirl, to Robin, and beyond, and promises to rejuvenate Batman for a new generation.
Animation
We’ll probably see at least one of DC’s best selling animated movies released on DVD and Video on Demand in 2014. Warner Brothers Animation tends to release three movies a year, and so far we only know about one hitting stores in February. That would be "Justice League: War," which features Batman, but as part of the Justice League. They’ve hinted that "Son of Batman," which focuses on Bats relationship with his son, Robin; and "Batman: Assault on Arkham," based on the video game series are both in development, so chances are we’ll see one or both before the end of the year.
We’ll probably see at least one of DC’s best selling animated movies released on DVD and Video on Demand in 2014. Warner Brothers Animation tends to release three movies a year, and so far we only know about one hitting stores in February. That would be "Justice League: War," which features Batman, but as part of the Justice League. They’ve hinted that "Son of Batman," which focuses on Bats relationship with his son, Robin; and "Batman: Assault on Arkham," based on the video game series are both in development, so chances are we’ll see one or both before the end of the year.
