There've been rumors of a revival of the seminal 1992 Batman: The Animated Series for quite a while now. This morning brings word that there will be a new Bat-toon coming to HBO Max & Cartoon Network, presumably in 2022.
Batman: Caped Crusader is a joint effort between animator-producer Bruce Timm, who, along with Paul Dini, shepherded the launch of the current era of Bat-toons in 1992, producer JJ Abrams, who's working on other projects for HBO Max, and Matt Reeves, director of the forthcoming "The Batman" feature film with Robert Pattinson as the Dark Knight.
As Batman: The Animated Series drew inspiration from Max & Dave Fleischer's Superman shorts of the 40's, the above card suggests a Golden Age inspiration as well, considering the style of cowl. No casting has been announced as yet.
Meanwhile, Superman isn't being left out of the mix.
On the heels of early success of CW's Superman & Lois, which returned from hiatus last night, HBO Max & Cartoon Network have given a 2 season commitment to My Adventures With Superman.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Animation/DC
As you can see, they'll go with an African-American Jimmy Olsen in this series, taking their cues from Supergirl, in which Mehcad Brooks was cast as Olsen. Lois Lane (Alice Lee, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist) and Clark Kent (Jack Quaid, The Boys) are cast here as 20-somethings, with Jimmy as Lois' protege. Seems to be an anime influence to this series, and that worked pretty well for the Teen Titans in their first CN series. Lois & Clark work together, fall in love, share adventures. The only thing missing is whether or not they'll skip to Lois learning Clark & Superman are the same guy right away, or follow tradition. The title suggests, at least to ye scribe, that this will be told from Jimmy's or Lois' point of view, or alternately, both. If you didn't know already, Jack Quaid is the son of Dennis Quaid & Meg Ryan. Dare we hope the parents land guest roles?
Again, target for launch seems to be 2022.
All we can say now is, stay tooned.
10 comments:
Hopefully this news will set to rest any fears some may have had about Cartoon Network becoming a preschool channel due to Cartoonito headed to CN US this fall. That and live-action are coming, but they won't be taking over.
It goes without saying that I'm interested in the new Superman show, as I've been a fan of Supes for most of my life. I've kind of had my fill of Batman and I'm not the biggest fan of grimdark there is, but I may check the new Batman show since it appears to be in capable hands.
I've more faith in HBO Max than Chumptoon Network, because you & I both know the latter won't break its Teen Titans Go! gridlock unless the new shows light up the ratings straight away.
True 'dat. Action cartoons don't have an impressive track record on CN, and generally speaking the ones which aren't comedies or are aimed squarely at the kiddos tend to do better on niche channels and streaming services, as kid-centered action fare relies heavily on toy sales for survival. When you're right, you're right.
Considering that Justice League Action was buried in an early morning slot on Saturdays during its run, I'm holding out hope for a better slot for the new Batman & Superman cartoons, although there's a better chance my bro & his roommate will be looking at them on HBO Max, and I will, too, than on Chumptoon Network.
Thank goodness that it's not going to be a shitty comedy like TTG. I heard it's supposed to be dark and edgy.
Based on the poster, more of a homage to the early Bat-books of the 40's.
My problem with shows like Teen Titans GO! and Ultimate Spider Man isn't that they're comedies, it's that they're not funny. Two of my favorite super cartoons are Marvel's The Super Hero Squad Show and DC's Batman: The Brave and the Bold. I'd welcome a more light hearted take on the DC or Marvel universe with open arms, but if you're going to do that, you need to be funny!
Anyways, we don't like TTG, but kids are eating it up like free pizza, which is why the show is still going to this day. TTG may be junk food for the brain, but Cartoon Network won't cancel that show as long as it continues to put butts into seats.
As for these upcoming Batman and Superman shows, as hobbyfan and my brother Silverstar have noted: I'm thinking that these shows will fare better on HBO Max than they will on Cartoon Network. CN doesn't have an impressive track when it comes to original action toons for a number of reasons; Running the shows on undesirable time slots, not giving them any encores during the week, barely giving them any kind of promotion, etc. While it's true that younger children tend to prefer comedies, CN has to bear at least some responsibility in it's failure for action cartoons to find an audience let alone secure a decent following.
Regardless of who's in charge at Chumptoon Network, the mentality is going to remain as is, unfortunately. As long as their market research firm is run by Dewey, Cheatham, and Howe, it's going to stay the same, because impressionable kids will find the unfunny to be hilarious, and won't learn anything about what real drama is like.
I think Batman: Caped Crusader should be on [adult swim] Toonami too.
Not. In. This. Lifetime.
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