It has been a heck of a long time, but Superman and Batman are finally getting brand new solo animated series! The latest Batman series will feature a creative team helmed by JJ Abrams and Matt Reeves, but it’s the return of Bruce Timm that will have heads turning. As one of the heavyweights who helped bring the early 1990s Batman: The Animated Series to life which eventually led to the creation of the DC animated universe, Timm will join the Hollywood royalty in creating a show that is billed as a “reimagining of the Batman mythology.”
“We are beyond excited to be working together to bring this character back, to tell engrossing new stories in Gotham City,” said Abrams and Reeves in a statement via THR. “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.”
“Batman: The Animated Series was a masterpiece that shaped the perception of the character for an entire generation of fans,” said Warner Bros. Animation president Sam Register.
It is in that spirit that we are bringing together three master storytellers in J.J., Matt and Bruce – each with their own intuitive understanding and affection for the character – to create a new series that will continue in the same groundbreaking legacy.
According to the studio, Batman: The Caped Crusader will utilise “state-of-the-art animation techniques and technologies ” in a “visually striking world”. Here’s the first teaser poster for the show, which appears to be drwing heavily from Batman’s formative years as the dark knight when he first appeared in comics almost a century ago:
This is the first solo Batman animated series since 2013’s Beware the Batman, a moody and intense CGI-animated series that was pretty much thrown to the wolves when it arrived and only lasted for 26 episodes. On the lighter side, Superman’s also making a comeback! My Adventures with Superman is set in the Daily Planet newspaper office, and stars a core cast of Superman/Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Jimmy Olsen as they navigate life and the occasional world-ending threat that is commonplace in the city of Metropolis.
The show is billed as a kids-and-family animated series that follows 20-something versions of the newspaper crew “as they begin to discover who they are and everything they can accomplish together as an investigative reporting team at the Daily Planet.”
“This is the first animated Superman series in many years and we want to tell our Superman story through the trio of Clark, Lois and Jimmy – whose relationship dynamic will allow for rich, serialized and engaging stories as we explore their lives as individuals and their journey together as friends,” showrunner Sam Register said.
This is the first time that Superman has had an animated show in a long time. Superman: The Animated Series, which was set in the same continuity as the aforementioned Batman animated series, ran from 1996 until 2000, and from that point the Man of Steel shared the screen in Justice League and Legion of Superheroes outings.
It’s been a long time coming, but at least there’s finally a reason to look up in the sky once again!
View the full list of Batman animated movies in order.
Last Updated: February 25, 2022
MaSeKind
May 20, 2021 at 07:18
For Batman they can just do a bit of a remaster of the Animated Series, no need to create anything new. That was as close to perfection as you can get.
Hopefully they actually have some proper art for this and it doesn’t look like a 4 year old drew it like they did for that TMNT series; ewwww
The D
May 20, 2021 at 08:23
Oh come on, Rise of the TMNT was great! I get that the style may have been polarising, but the actual animation was superb!
Also, just give me a new Batman Beyond series already.