Something that I’ve come to learn over the years has been to pay attention to any panel or premiere pertaining to a DC animated movie held at San Diego or New York Comic-Con because they tend to yield some exciting news. Not surprisingly, last night’s world premiere of Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders at NYCC was followed by the announcement of a sequel: Batman vs. Two-Face.
For those unfamiliar, Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders is an animated film that sees Adam West, Burt Ward, and Julie Newmar return to their iconic roles voicing Batman, Robin, and Catwoman, respectively, with new talent filling in for cast members who have unfortunately passed away.
While it is certainly thrilling to see those iterations of those characters once again being brought to life, Batman vs. Two-Face is especially worthy of attention because not only did Two-Face never appear on the classic television series, but he will also be voiced by the legendary William Shatner (Star Trek). I find it highly appropriate that an actor from that era be the one to make this long overdue showdown a reality and I’m probably not the only one who can’t wait to see what kind of exchanges will be had by West and Shatner.
Those who don’t know the TV series by heart may be hurrying to fact check an absence of Two-Face, but as hard as it may be to believe, he never showed up because it was said characters such as he and Scarecrow were deemed to be too scary. Science fiction writer Harlan Ellison actually did outline a story that included Harvey Dent, but it unfortunately never made it to air. DC Comics, however, resurrected it in 2014 as a comic book one-shot titled Batman ’66: The Lost Episode. Whether or not Two-Face stylistically resembles his appearance in that issue (pictured at the top) in the animated film remains to be seen.
Another thing to ponder is whether or not the movie will keep a tight focus on the Batman/Two-Face rivalry or possibly introduce more beloved villains that were never featured on the TV series. It’s worth noting that the Batman ’66 comics in recent years featured interpretations of Scarecrow, Bane, Killer Croc, and even Harley Quinn in keeping with the series’ tone, so I wouldn’t exactly be shocked to see their inclusion.
As of now, Batman vs. Two-Face has no concrete release date, but will arrive sometime in 2017.
