Warner Bros. and Cartoon Network announce Batman: The Caped Crusader from Bruce Timm, Matt Reeves, and J.J. Abrams and My Adventures With Superman
Warner Bros. and Cartoon Network have capes on the brain. In an announcement that’s sure to inspire Kombucha Girl memes around the internet, Warner Bros. and Cartoon Network both announced new animated Superman and Batman series from a mixed bag of creators that fans feel, well, mixed about.
The first is Batman: The Caped Crusader from Bruce Timm (Batman The Animated Series), Matt Reeves (director of the upcoming The Batman), and one of the most divisive names in fandom J.J. Abrams (Star Trek, Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker). With some series height on his cowl, the show harkens back to the earliest versions of the character. In a press release, Timm admits that this what he’s going for. “The series will be thrilling, cinematic and evocative of Batman’s noir roots,” he writes, “While diving deeper into the psychology of these iconic characters.”
Both Warner and CN are hoping Timm can recapture some of that Animated Series magic and attract an older fanbase, the very fanbase who might be a little apprehensive about Abrams’ involvement. Here’s how they describe it:
Now, nearly 30 years since the series premiered, Timm once again takes on the mantle of the Bat alongside two of the most acclaimed filmmakers in the industry: J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves. Utilizing state-of-the-art animation techniques and technologies available, this powerful creative partnership will once again reinvent Batman and his iconic rogue’s gallery with sophisticated storytelling, nuanced characters and intense action sequences all set in a visually striking world.
Superman, however, will be going for lighter fare, so don’t expect him to be snapping any necks in this version. My Adventures With Superman follows the adventures of Lois, Clark, and Jimmy Olson. While Warner is a little quieter on who is spearheading this new iteration of Supes, the press release namechecks Jake Wyatt (Invader Zim), Sam Register (Teen Titans Go!), Josie Campbell (She-Ra And The Princess Of Power), and Brendan Clogher (Voltron: Legendary Defender), which should give you an idea of the tone they’re going for. They also announced that Jack Quaid from The Boys would be voicing the big man, so do with that as you will. Here’s the plot description:
In this serialized coming-of-age story, we follow Clark as he builds his secret Superman identity and embraces his role as the hero of Metropolis – and perhaps the world. Lois, now growing into a star investigative journalist, takes aspiring photographer Jimmy Olsen under her wing. All the while, Clark and Lois are falling in love, sharing adventures, taking down bad guys, stumbling over secrets, and discovering what it means to be Superman and Lois Lane.
My Adventures With Superman marks the first animated series for the character since 2005's Justice League Unlimited, though there have been several direct-to-DVD films featuring Superman.
However, it seems likely that the Batman news will overshadow Superman once again. After all, it’s not every day Bruce Timm decides to do another Batman cartoon. It’s also not every day that J.J. Abrams decides to do one either. Prepare your memes accordingly.