From Justice League: The New Frontier to Batman: Under the Red Hood, DC Animation has produced some really remarkable films in recent years. I grew up watching the 90s Batman cartoon, and Justice League. The work of Bruce Timm, Alan Burnett, Sam Register, Lauren Montgomery and so many others continue to get better and better.
Since the conclusion of Justice League Unlimited, DC Animation has worked on adapting critically acclaimed graphic novels into 75 minute films. Their most recent works are Superman/Batman: Apocalypse and All-Star Superman.
This October, they are releasing Batman: Year One, based on Frank Miller's classic graphic novel. Christopher Nolan used this work as heavy inspiration for Batman Begins. It was written in 1987, and gives a more in-depth look at the origins of The Dark Knight. It's a great depiction of the first meeting between Batman and Gordon, and the fantastic art by David Mazzuchelli provides a great basis for the film's animation. Also, Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston is doing the voice of Gordon, which I think will be one of the highlights. The DVD/Blu-Ray release date is October 18.
Next year, the big news is that one of the most groundbreaking graphic novels in comic book history, The Dark Knight Returns, is being adapted into a two-part film. TDKR is also a work by Frank Miller, and its sheer grit changed the face of the comic book medium forever. It's a futuristic story depicting an aged Bruce Wayne who must come out of retirement to take back Gotham from vile street gangs and psychopaths. The stakes are high as the Mutant Gang strikes terror into the hearts of citizens, and The Joker is being recognized as legitimate by doctors at Arkham. While there aren't many details regarding the film at this point, it's rumored that Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill will return to do the voices of Batman and Joker. On a side note, if the film stays true to its source material, I wouldn't be surprised if this will be the first R-rated Batman film. In terms of story, it's one of the most intense and gritty in DC history. There are things they could tone down to make it PG-13, but it's certainly not one for the kids. The release date is not known at this time.
Lastly, Justice League: Doom, based on Mark Waid's JLA: Tower of Babel, will also be released next year. This is a great story, as it deals with the ethics of trust v.s. caution. Years before the story takes place, the League was under mind-control, and after it was all over, Batman put together files detailing the strengths and weaknesses of every member as a precaution. Yet when extremist Ra's al-Ghul gets hold of this information, the entire League is put in jeopardy. An extraordinary piece with great visual art, I look forward to its adaptation in 2012.
So that's a preview of DC Animation's upcoming projects. If you read this post and knew what I was talking about, I commend you. You are a true nerd.
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