By For many, Batman: The Animated Series is one of if not the definitive depiction of the World’s Greatest Detective, airing some 80 episodes from 1992 to ’95, spearheaded by creator Bruce Timm. Returning to the series format, Timm will be joined by none other than JJ Abrams and Matt Reeves for Batman: Caped Crusader, a brand new animated series from Warner Bros. Animation for HBO Max and Cartoon Network.
Said to be a reimagining of the character, Abrams commented that Caped Crusader will be “thrilling, cinematic and evocative of Batman’s noir roots, while diving deeper into the psychology of these iconic characters.” Sounds an awful lot like the things fans loved about The Animated Series, striking a balance between sophisticated storytelling and the excitement of “Saturday morning cartoons,” with some seriously evocative, impressive animation and background art. The teaser poster alone paints a telling portrait of the tone Caped Crusader looks to capture, and I’m already here for it.
A series order was pushed through for Caped Crusader, though no date has been set for its premiere. Few details on the series, other than its use of “state-of-the-art animation techniques and technologies” are known, with more news to surely come about later this year.
Additionally, a new Superman series is coming to HBO Max. My Adventures with Superman will feature Superman, definitely-not-Superman Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and enigmatic young reporter Jimmy Olsen “as they begin to discover who they are and everything they can accomplish together as an investigative reporting team at the Daily Planet.”
Certainly a less-dramatic look than Caped Crusader, My Adventures with Superman is executive produced by Warner Bros. Animation President Sam Register, and has been ordered to two seasons.
For many though, the Bat is the big news of the day, particularly Timm’s involvement. With Reeves and Robert Pattinson’s The Batman coming next March, there’s there’s a lot of promising Bat-stuff on the horizon, with Caped Crusader a fresh highlight. It’s enough to make many hear the Animated Series theme song, and… well I think I know what I’ll be watching tonight.