It’s raining Batman projects, hallelujah! In the wake of Max unveiling a new trailer for The Batman spinoff The Penguin, we’ve finally learned who’s the latest actor to play the Dark Knight in another outing for Gotham’s protector set in an entirely different continuity.
No, it’s not James Gunn’s Batman — sadly, we’ve still got a while to wait until we find out who’ll snag the lead in the upcoming The Brave and the Bold movie. However, the good news is we know who’s voicing Bruce Wayne in Batman: Caped Crusader, the upcoming Prime Video animated series from the holy trinity of exec producers that is J.J. Abrams, Matt Reeves, and Bruce Timm (co-creator of Batman: The Animated Series).
In an exciting twist, it’s a talented actor who’s not just a horror icon but who has also already appeared in a superhero TV show. Specifically, the weirdest superhero TV show on record.
DC’s new Batman has a history of living on the weird side of the superhero multiverse
Hamish Linklater is officially playing the title role in Batman: Caped Crusader, a unique twist on the Bat-mythos which brings the character back to his roots by taking place in a 1940s Gotham and employing a dark, noirish tone. The show certainly has lofty heights to reach in measuring up to all the prior Batman screen adaptations, but Linklater’s presence in the lead practically serves as a stamp of quality thanks to his knack for starring in unusual and engrossing TV series.
Linklater is most recognizable for playing Father Paul in Mike Flanagan’s highly acclaimed Netflix horror miniseries Midnight Mass, for which his performance was widely praised. Although the prolific character actor is not the kind of star we anticipate showing up in the MCU anytime soon, Linklater actually does have a history working on comic book properties thanks to his regular role on all three seasons of FX’s Legion.
For those still unaware of this gloriously gonzo series, Legion employs Fox’s fractured X-Men timeline to exceptional effect, throwing canon out of the window to craft a psychedelic, cerebral, sinister, and yet often supremely silly show about David Haller (Dan Stevens), a telepath and telekinetic with mind-blowing mutant powers. Linklater is a scene-stealing presence as Clark, a government agent hunting David down whose greatest weapon is his sardonic wit and ability to remain entirely unfazed by all the craziness going on around him.
Linklater isn’t someone we ever expected to play Batman, but his work on Midnight Mass and Legion leaves us convinced he’s about to reinvent the character in an intriguing, off-the-wall way we won’t see coming.
Batman: Caped Crusader debuts on Prime this Aug. 1.
