When it’s all said and done, 2016 may go down in history as having seen the most varied interpretations of Batman in live action and animation. Not only did Ben Affleck grace the silver screen twice as The Dark Knight in both Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad, but a number of iterations of the character appeared in animation, ranging from the LEGO variety all the way to the no-holds-barred R-rated Batman: The Killing Joke.
Although it has been known for some time that Adam West and Burt Ward were working on a project shrouded in mystery – they played it rather coy at a panel I attended this past spring at Motor City Comic Con – today’s news comes as a bit of a surprise, regardless. You would have thought that Warner Home Video wouldn’t ship any more DC animated films for this calendar year, but this fall will see the release of Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders.
Picking up where the classic TV series left off, expect West and Ward to be joined by Julie Newmar as they each return to the roles of Batman, Robin, and Catwoman, respectively. Each actor’s voice is still recognizable as those characters, so no fan should be left disappointed in that regard.
While plot details are vague, we do know that the Dynamic Duo will battle the aforementioned Catwoman, in addition to Joker, Penguin and Riddler. Things may get a bit wackier than usual, too, as their adventures will take them to space at some point during the film. It makes me wonder if this is a nod to the ill-fated made for TV movie pitch from several decades back that saw one network wishing for Gotham’s heroes to get a little more cosmic.
Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders arrives on Digital HD on October 11, with the Blu-Ray coming on November 1.