Just saw an ad for a new Batman series on the WB. Looks like they are going to give a preview of it next week. A "Batman Year One" approach in preparation for the movie coming out?
(BTW: the inclusion of a certain U2 member's music is certain to make at least ONE board member happy!)
'Batman' Re-Animated at WB, Cartoon Net
(Monday, February 09 02:52 PM)
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - The Caped Crusader is returning to the small screen again.
Kids WB and the Cartoon Network are teaming up with Warner Bros. Animation on a new series called "The Batman," The WB announced Monday (Feb. 9). The new show, targeted for fall, will be the third animated interpretation of the DC Comics character in the past decade, following "Batman: The Animated Series" and "Batman Beyond."
Batman also appears in the Cartoon Network's "Justice League" series.
"'The Batman' is an important new addition to the Batman mythology," says Paul Levitz, president and publisher of DC Comics. "We look forward to working with [Warner Bros.] to make it the new creative benchmark for adventure animation, just as ['Batman: The Animated Series'] set the tone for the field a decade ago."
"The Batman" will be set in present-day Gotham, but it will follow a twentysomething Bruce Wayne, who, three years after first donning the Batman suit, is still adjusting to his dual life. He will meet the villains of the DC Rogues' Gallery -- the Joker, Catwoman, the Riddler and Man-Bat among them -- for the first time.
The Batmobile and other gadgets will also get an update, as the Dark Knight controls his arsenal via a remote control device called the Bat-Wave. U2's The Edge will perform the show's theme music.
Veteran voice actor Rino Romano ("Spider-Man Unlimited," "Batman Beyond") will provide the voice of Bruce Wayne. Former TV Batman Adam West will play Gotham's mayor, and Ming-Na ("ER") will voice a detective. Gina Gershon ("Prey for Rock & Roll") will play Catwoman, while fellow baddies Joker and Penguin will be voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson ("Like Family," "Static Shock") and Tom Kenny ("SpongeBob SquarePants").
Batman is also set to return to the big screen in a film scheduled for 2005. The movie, directed by Christopher Nolan ("Memento," "Insomnia") and starring Christian Bale ("American Psycho"), also re-imagines Bruce Wayne as a younger man.
>>U2's The Edge will perform the show's theme music.
Uh-huh, sha-la!
...except...(and here's an reference I'm guessing most of the board won't get...) - I sure hope it's not going to sound like his score to the CAPTIVE... that would be really wierd for Batman...
Rock n Roll and comics - from KISS to U2 - it's two great tastes that taste great together!
Now, when is Jolly John Byrne going to hit the road with his guitar??
until I saw the rasta Joker. And I'm sorry, but in the series he's been Batman for 3 years and he's still adjusting!?!?!? Is he a bit slow in this incarnation? Can he still detect? -Rick
I've got absolutely no problem with a black actor providing the voice talent for a non-black animated character, provide he or she has the talent to pull off the required voice work -- with animation, the ears can be color-blind, so to speak.
That said, how can they not use Mark Hammill as the voice for the Joker? He IS the voice for the Joker, plain and simple -- if you've heard Hammill's rendition of the Joker, and if you understand the Joker as a character (such as he can be understood, that is), then Hammill's voice is THE voice you should hear when you think of the Joker. Anything else is ludicrous. Hammill probably couldn't portray the Joker in a live-action situation (Andrew Koenig should be awarded that honor for life, or until he's too old for the part), but in an animated setting, there should be no other choice. Plus, as long as his voice holds up over time, he'll never be too old to play an animated Joker, so age shouldn't be an issue, either.
JB is right, there will be plenty of time later to rip the show apart on the actual merits of the show itself, without having to make any up through conjecture!
I guess no one on this board ever saw a Korn video.
This might come as a shock, but dreds...they just ain't for black people anymore. Heck I've seen tons of heavy metal guys with them. Then again I doubt that there are many Korn or POD fans on this board.
. . . you're doing exactly what you slam others for doing -- finding fault with something without seeing it!
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Not slamming it -- just lamenting that Mark Hammill won't be reprising his role as the voice of the Joker. I'm actually looking forward to seeing what they come up with -- I suspect we will all be pleasantly surprised.
Lessee... I have little to worry about. Each series of Batman cartoons came out during different periods, and I found I enjoyed them all for what they were, though I probably liked Batman and Robin on Scooby Doo, Where Are You? best.
Ok... I liked Paul Dini and Bruce Timm's best, because they captured how I have imagined Batman.
I'm a huge Dini/Timm fan too, but it seems to me that both men have other things to do right now. I'm willing to give this a shot- it's not as if its very existance diminishes the greatness of Batman: TAS in any way. Plus I'm getting a bit of a Steve Englehart vibe off this show for whatever reason- when it comes to Batman, that's a good thing.
No he is not wearing Jester's Motley. Here is a shot of the toy.
JB, it isn't that I'm downing the show just because. I'm adjusting my expectations appropriatly based on past experience. I'm always willing to be proven wrong and happily admit when I am. But when you are driving down the highway and smell a dead skunk, you don't need to see it directly to know it for what it is.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Good Judgement comes from Experience
And Experience comes from... Bad Judgement
Barefooted? Because the outfit is a strait-jacket - he's just busted out of the joint - etc.
Now, let's steer this back to the important aspect of the show -
THE THEME IS BY DAVE "THE EDGE" EVANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WoooooHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Sure, sure, U2's last record stunk on ice, but they're still just about the best rock group ever, and thier one other foray (sp?) into Batman theme music was the best thing to happen to that dark and ugly chapter in Batman's film career! ("Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me" from that crappy Bat-film with Jim Carrey and Val Kilmer)
