The Dark Knight returns to animation — with some very interesting new creators.

HBO Max and Cartoon Network have announced they’ve greenlit a straight to series order for what the press release describes as “an all-new animated series and reimagining of the Batman mythology.” It will be titled Batman: Caped Crusader, and it features about as impressive a creative team as you’ll find in animation, with J.J. Abrams, Matt Reeves, and longtime DC Comics animator and artist Bruce Timm serving as executive producers.

Here was their collective comment on the news, via the press release:

We are beyond excited to be working together to bring this character back, to tell engrossing new stories in Gotham City. The series will be thrilling, cinematic and evocative of Batman’s noir roots, while diving deeper into the psychology of these iconic characters. We cannot wait to share this new world.

The new show will supposedly utilize “state-of-the-art animation techniques and technologies” and “reinvent Batman and his iconic rogue’s gallery with sophisticated storytelling, nuanced characters and intense action sequences all set in a visually striking world.”

Timm was one of the key creators of Batman: The Animated Series, which is still regarded as one of the character’s artistic high points in any medium. Along with Paul Dini, he also co-created the character of Harley Quinn. Reeves is currently finishing The Batman, the latest film version of the Dark Knight, starring Robert Pattinson as the title character. He and Abrams have collaborated numerous times in the past, including on the television series Felicity and their monster movie hit Cloverfield.

Here is the full preview image for Caped Crusader:

HBO Max
HBO Max
loading...

The image evokes both the Batman: The Animated Series style, as well as the look of Batman in his earliest appearances in Detective Comics, when he had giant curved ears. So perhaps Caped Crusader will be more of an origin story? However the project takes shape, it’s an intriguing concept and group of producers.

Every DC Comics Movie, Ranked From Worst to Best

From Superman and the Mole Men to The Suicide Squad, we ranked every movie based on DC comics.
ScreenCrush logo
Get our free mobile app

More From ScreenCrush