RememberBatman: The Animated Series? It’s widely considered to be the best on-screen portrayal of the Dark Knight. The show had top-tier animation, superb voice actors, and plot lines that appealed to both kids and adults. More than two decades after its last episode, fans still compare new DC animated material toBatman: TAS.
In the golden age of streaming, content is king. Warner Bros. Animation is teaming up with HBO Max and pulling out the big guns. Recently the two announced production ofBatman: The Caped Crusader. It will be ananimated show overseen by Matt Reeves and J.J. Abrams. Those two names by themselves are enough to get fans excited. Reeves is currently working on the upcomingDC filmThe Batman, which stars Robert Pattinson. Abrams, now commonly associated with theStar Warssequels, cut his teeth with great television shows likeAlias,The Fringe, andLost.
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The two directors will also be joined by none other than Bruce Timm. He, along with Eric Radomski, createdBatman: TAS. Timm has worked on countless other animated DC projects. Without him, the DC “Animated Universe” wouldn’t exist. With shows likeJustice League UnlimitedandBatman Beyond, the DCAU, as it’s sometimes called, is a step above most other DC ventures. There looks to be every chance thatBatman: Caped Crusaderwill return to the elements that madeBatman: TASa fan-favorite classic.
Blast To The Past
For any who missed the show, it’s worth reviewing what madeBatman: The Animated Seriesso good. The show began its run in September 1992 and concluded in September 1995. In total,Batman: TASreleased eighty-five episodes across those three years. Fox Kids hosted the show, but many adult fans of Batman and his world quickly realized the show had been designed with them in mind, as well.
The visual style remains a standout element ofBatman: TAS. Its creators took much of their inspiration from the Tim Burton eraBatmanfilms. Several different animation studios took on various episodes, and all of them put admirable effort into their work. Famously, Spectrum Animation all but bankrupted themselves airbrushing Mr. Freeze’s helmet in every frame of “Heart of Ice.” The work paid off.Batman: TASlooks just as good today as it did nearly thirty years ago.
Story-wise,the show took on a much darker tonethan most expected from what was, essentially, a series for kids.Batman: TASmodernized the Dark Knight’s origin story while also tackling heavy themes of loss and love. The show leaned into the noir elements of the Batman comics and brought “the world’s greatest detective” to life in a way that hadn’t ever happened outside of the books.
Along with those thematic and stylistic updates,Batman: TASalso brought onhigh-caliber voice actors like John Glover, Kevin Conroy, and Mark Hamill. The show featured classicBatmanvillains but introduced new aspects to many of them. Its version of Mr. Freeze as a tragic figure is still the character’s most popular iteration. The show introduced Harley Quinn, an all-new character who went on to be added to the comic book continuity and has been featured in several DCEU movies, including the upcomingJames Gunn featureThe Suicide Squad.
Return To Gotham
WhenBatman: The Caped Crusadercomes to HBO Max, it could be a new generation’sBatman: The Animated Series. The studios involved have said very little about the show so far, but already there are numerous positive signs. As previously mentioned, Bruce Timm will work as a producer on the new series. An early promo poster features art akin to the previous show’s visual style.
That certainly sounds like the game plan for a soft reboot ofBatman: TAS. The mention of “diving deeper into the psychology” of Batman and his fellows is clearly a focus for Reeves. Hissource material forThe Batmantakes a deep examination of Bruce Wayne’s interior existence. Fans likely won’t know : The Caped Crusaderfor a good while. WhenThe Batmanreleases next March, the world will get a look at howReeves and star Robert Pattinson handle a new take on Batmanand his world. Until then, it may be enough to know that Batman’s on-screen future is looking bright. Or, well, dark, but with some top-notch creators leading that darkness in the right direction.
