DC Animated Movie Slate for 2012

[Adam Tyner]

Originally Posted by fujishig

I barely remember anything but the premise from Waid's comics, but I think this one basically takes only the premise of Batman having files on everyone.

Both movies have similarly genocidal endgames, although the badniks who try to pull them off are completely different. Some of the specific methods of knocking off the members of the Justice League are carried over in fairly similar ways. You're right that it's definitely not a straight adaptation. The extras say it's a combination of the Super Friends cartoon, Alex Ross' Justice miniseries (which I don't see at all, but it's been a few years since I read that), and Tower of Babel, plus a bunch of its own stuff.

Originally Posted by fujishig

Most of the scenarios of the Leaguers being taken down are laughable (and really, they have absolutely no follow-through), as are the villain's main plot.

The only one that seemed really ridiculous to me was Green Lantern's just because...I mean, you do the job for that long and that sort of thing (trying to stay semi-spoiler-free here) is inevitably going to happen. I'm not saying he should've blown it off or whatever, but that couldn't have been the first time that happened.

Originally Posted by fujishig

Any idea why they don't connect these various films?

Freedom to experiment, maybe? I know they don't like getting too tethered to using the same voices, which is why Kevin Conroy and Tim Daly only show up for every 2nd or 3rd movie.

I loved the hell out of Justice League: Doom, personally. I know the argument goes that it's a 76 minute episode of Justice League Unlimited, and I don't even disagree, but that's exactly what I wanted.

[fujishig]

I think the problem I had with the schemes is that they were pretty elaborate setups for the most part, and they didn't really need to be. Plus no follow through!

Spoiler:

Wonder Woman basically succumbed to a scratch with poison, but Cheetah leaves just counting on her heart to give out? I am surprised she didn't kill any civilians, she got pretty brutal with Cyborg.

Superman's scheme had an impersonator doing a fake suicide; was Batman just going to find out who the last guy they laid off at the Planet was? And all that for a Kryptonite bullet? And again, no follow through.

Jonnz: poisoned/on fire, dumped in a lake, again no follow through.

Flash: Let's see, you have Flash trapped... maybe just shoot him? Nah, make him run with a bomb.

Green Lantern: that's a really elaborate setup, and she just leaves him there, counting on him never getting back up? I do like that he didn't need the antidote.

Batman: darnit Bane, you know his secret identity, and you dig up his parents and bury him alive and believe that's going to break him? WTH? And yeah, your backup plan to stop you if you go rogue is the League, when you just proved that you could singlehandedly take them all out...

I know none of these were actually going to die, and I was kinda hoping that Cyborg would play a bigger part in the rescue. His whole "you aren't in the plan" thing didn't really amount to much, besides saving Supes.

The other problem I had was that I would have liked to see the League work together, but they just pair off with their own villains. There were some cool action sequences, though.

And Vandal Savage's big plot? Ugh. Total Deus Ex Machina that there was enough power to cover the entire Earth. Please. You had a better shot just doing your plan and hoping the JLA didn't notice until it was too late. As it was, even when they were right there they couldn't stop the launch, and you gave them their way out of it.

I know, I know, it's nitpicky and it's probably more for kids and I did enjoy the film. They couldn't have the Leaguers die. It was like a movie in the Young Justice universe starring the league.

Ok, one more nitpick. I know it's a bonus, but who in the world is going to read that comic on their TV? It's unreadable on a 60 inch TV, I can't imagine it being any better on a smaller one. They should really team with comixology or something to give out digital copies of a comic.

[Paul1957]

Originally Posted by AmityBoatTours

If Conroy and Hamill are back then Dark Knight Returns will be a day one purchase for me.

Looks like The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 will be released on Oct 23 with Michael Ironside doing the voice of Batman.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2313197/

[Solid Snake PAC]

Yeah...I actually think Ironside has the voice for the ugly and grizzled Batman. Didn't Hamill say that Arkham City was his farewell w/ Mr. J?

[The Valeyard]

Originally Posted by Solid Snake PAC

Yeah...I actually think Ironside has the voice for the ugly and grizzled Batman. Didn't Hamill say that Arkham City was his farewell w/ Mr. J?

It is until his next paycheck.

[Mike86]

Awesome, pretty excited for The Dark Knight Returns Part 1. I would have preferred Conroy be the voice of Batman but I suppose I can deal with someone else. Hopefully Warner doesn't make us wait too long for Part 2. I really don't get Warner's big hang up with making these releases only 75 minutes or however long they're supposed to be.

[MTRodaba2468]

I could totally see Michael Ironside doing the voice for an older Batman...

[MinLShaw]

Originally Posted by Paul1957

Looks like The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 will be released on Oct 23 with Michael Ironside doing the voice of Batman.

Originally Posted by MTRodaba2468

I could totally see Michael Ironside doing the voice for an older Batman...

No need to use your imagination; Ironside voiced the elderly Batman in the Dark Knight Returns segment of the "Legends of the Dark Knight" episode of Batman: The Animated Series!

[Solid Snake PAC]

and that is also true. I wonder how much they're really going into w/ TDKR. Like...it had some stuff that I can't see them going into. Mostly the sexual stuff.

[RocShemp]

There were some pics of the trailer for this animated feature online but they just got pulled.

Looked good. It was a nice balance between Timm's style and that of the comic book.

[Iron_Giant]

Originally Posted by fujishig

I think the problem I had with the schemes is that they were pretty elaborate setups for the most part, and they didn't really need to be. Plus no follow through!

Spoiler:

Wonder Woman basically succumbed to a scratch with poison, but Cheetah leaves just counting on her heart to give out? I am surprised she didn't kill any civilians, she got pretty brutal with Cyborg.

Superman's scheme had an impersonator doing a fake suicide; was Batman just going to find out who the last guy they laid off at the Planet was? And all that for a Kryptonite bullet? And again, no follow through.

Jonnz: poisoned/on fire, dumped in a lake, again no follow through.

Flash: Let's see, you have Flash trapped... maybe just shoot him? Nah, make him run with a bomb.

Green Lantern: that's a really elaborate setup, and she just leaves him there, counting on him never getting back up? I do like that he didn't need the antidote.

Batman: darnit Bane, you know his secret identity, and you dig up his parents and bury him alive and believe that's going to break him? WTH? And yeah, your backup plan to stop you if you go rogue is the League, when you just proved that you could singlehandedly take them all out...

I know none of these were actually going to die, and I was kinda hoping that Cyborg would play a bigger part in the rescue. His whole "you aren't in the plan" thing didn't really amount to much, besides saving Supes.

The other problem I had was that I would have liked to see the League work together, but they just pair off with their own villains. There were some cool action sequences, though.

And Vandal Savage's big plot? Ugh. Total Deus Ex Machina that there was enough power to cover the entire Earth. Please. You had a better shot just doing your plan and hoping the JLA didn't notice until it was too late. As it was, even when they were right there they couldn't stop the launch, and you gave them their way out of it.

I know, I know, it's nitpicky and it's probably more for kids and I did enjoy the film. They couldn't have the Leaguers die. It was like a movie in the Young Justice universe starring the league.

Ok, one more nitpick. I know it's a bonus, but who in the world is going to read that comic on their TV? It's unreadable on a 60 inch TV, I can't imagine it being any better on a smaller one. They should really team with comixology or something to give out digital copies of a comic.

I agree 100% with what you said, had to look past the fact they could have killed the entire JLA if they wanted to.

[MrSmearkase]

From The Hollywood Reporter;

Warner Bros. has set the voice cast for its upcoming animated adaptation of Frank Miller’s classic 1986 Batman tale The Dark Knight Returns, from Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment, Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Home Video.

Peter Weller (Robocop) will star as Batman/Bruce Wayne and Modern Family’s middle child Ariel Winter will play Robin.

Also in the cast are David Selby, the veteran actor who starred in the original Dark Shadows soap opera as well as the classic 1980s soap Falcon Crest; Wade Williams (Prison Break) as Harvey Dent/Two-Face; and Michael McKean as Dr. Wolper, the psychiatrist who releases the Joker from the insane asylum.

Warners and DC are splitting up the adaptation of the dense four-part graphic novel into two animated features titled Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 and Part 2. The first movie, which will be released under the DC Comics Premiere Movie brand, will hit shelves in the fall. Part 2 will be released in early 2013.

More photos at this link.

[Hokeyboy]

I like Weller, but I would have preferred Ironside. Oh well. I'm just glad they're doing it in two parts.

Also:

[Solid Snake PAC]

Ahem..post #34.

[Mike86]

Those stills have me stoked for this! I also like Peter Weller so I'm curious as to how his Bruce Wayne/Batman will sound.

[Spottedfeather]

It will be a crying shame if they don't get at least Kevin Conroy for Killing Joke. I just don't see Peter Weller as Batman. Makes even less sense than Ironside, who is more suited to Darkside than Batman. I much prefer Ironside as Darkside than Andre Braugher.

[PhantomStranger]

Warner has shown they really don't care what the real fans want from these features. Weller's name sells more copies on the cover than Conroy's or Ironside's name will sell, though I suspect he also is more expensive. Whatever the average Mom and Dad recognizes at Walmart is who gets picked for these features. It was utterly disastrous in Batman: Year One, where Batman's voice actor was a hack. Outside of Bruce Timm, Warner has repeatedly shown they have little understanding of what makes superheroes tick in mainstream media.

[Mike86]

Kevin Conroy is by far the definitive voice for the character. If not him the voice actor who was in Under the Red Hood, Bruce Greenwood is a pretty decent Bruce Wayne/Batman. The guy who voiced him in Year One was pretty meh.

[Solid Snake PAC]

I love Conroy too but...TDKR isn't the same guy that came from TAS or most of the others Conroy has worked in.

While I wouldve preferred Ironside for this not cuz of TAS but also...this Batman is ugly. He's let so much happen to himself and Gotham. He's a building that still stands but it's a mess of one. It's appropriate they got someone else. Ironside's voice fit that harsh ugliness in the man.

[davidh777]

Originally Posted by Solid Snake PAC

I love Conroy too but...TDKR isn't the same guy that came from TAS or most of the others Conroy has worked in.

While I wouldve preferred Ironside for this not cuz of TAS but also...this Batman is ugly. He's let so much happen to himself and Gotham. He's a building that still stands but it's a mess of one. It's appropriate they got someone else. Ironside's voice fit that harsh ugliness in the man.

Yeah, I think it makes sense to use some different voices for different concepts just as there are different artists

[Hokeyboy]

Originally Posted by Solid Snake PAC

Ahem..post #34.

Ahem.. post #19.

[Solid Snake PAC]

damn you.

[Hokeyboy]

No worries. Someone else will repost it soon, and we'll all have a good laugh at their groin.

[Paul1957]

Trailer for The Dark Knight Returns:

Get More: MTV Shows

[a/v Junkie]

Coverart for Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 1