DC Comics, Warner Home Video and Warner Bros. Animation are jointly planning to produce and distribute a series of original "DC Universe" animated movies for DVD, with the films being animated and directed by acclaimed comic book creators and animators.

All the movies are to be rated as PG-13, and will be distributed worldwide by Warner Home Video. The first three will appear between 2007 and 2008, and will include:


Justice League: New Frontier - written by Stan Berkowitz, with Darwyn Cooke as story and visual consultant
Teen Titans: The Judas Contract - written by Marv Wolfman and Tom DeSanto, produced by DeSanto
Superman: Doomsday - produced by Bruce Timm and written by Duane Capizzi, from a story by Timm & Capizzi

"We are working closely with WHV and WBA to insure that the films honor the legacy of our great heroes. And we are lucky to have Marv Wolfman and Darwyn Cooke, two of the writers who created the source material for the films, involved in the project," said DC Comics President & Publisher Paul Levitz. "The creators bring a passion for the material and a level of creative ambition that will resonate with both DC Comics' fans who treasure the original stories and adults who love adventure, heroics and top-notch animation."

"We are thrilled to announce this unprecedented venture with DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation," said Ron Sanders, President, Warner Home Video. "This initiative is a testament to our commitment to bringing fans new and innovative content created by the most revered names in the comic industry."

Those involved in future releases will including award-winning writer/artist Darwyn Cooke (The New Frontier; Catwoman) and writer Marv Wolfman (The New Teen Titans), along with Bruce Timm (Justice League Unlimited, Batman: The Animated Series) and Tom DeSanto (executive producer of the first two X-Men films and producer of the forthcoming Transformers feature). Writer/producers Duane Capizzi (The Batman, The Batman vs. Dracula) and Stan Berkowitz (Justice League) will also be part of the creative team on the DC Universe films, with Timm serving as supervising producer on each of the titles.

Other DC products with films in development include Green Lantern, Flash and Wonder Woman.


News by Malcolm Campbell