Warner Bros. classic detective noir superhero drama Batman: The Animated Series is considered by many to be the single greatest adaptation of the Batman character and the world around him. This classic 90s series recently made the jump to the HBO Max streaming service and now rumors are running that Warner Bros. might be looking at an all-new animated series that would be a direct sequel to this fan favorite!
Entertainment scooper Daniel Richtman is reporting that HBO Max is considering developing an all-new Batman: The Animated Series sequel series that would pick up where the original series left off back in the 1990s. Currently, this is just a rumor, but we all know how fast that can change and Richtman has a fairly solid track record when it comes to his inside scoops in the past.
The move would make total sense, as the series has achieved cult status among many Batman fans. It doesn’t hurt that much of the original creative team is still around, and several high profile members of the cast have returned to their character roles from this show in various other forms of media with Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill effectively becoming the most iconic voices for Batman and his arch-nemesis The Joker.
While several cast members like Bob Hastings (Commissioner Gordon), Efrem Zimbalist Jr. (Alfred), Lloyd Bochner (Mayor Hamilton Hill), and John Vernon (Rupert Thorn) have unfortunately passed away since the series wrapped up its original run, the majority of the voice actors are still around and working! It also wouldn’t be entirely unexpected for Warner Bros. to recast any number of voice roles in the show, as they have done so several times during the show’s original run.
Batman: The Animated Series was critically lauded upon its initial release in 1992 and the show lasted four seasons before being retooled and revamped as Batman: The New Adventures (also known as Batman: Gotham Knights in some regions) for a further two seasons.
The series also saw the theatrically released film Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm, as well as the straight-to-video film releases Batman: Sub-Zero and Batman: Mystery Of The Batwoman (and much later, Batman And Harley Quinn, which is set in this universe but is not generally considered part of the continuity).
Following the end of this series, the production team moved on to work on another continuation of the same universe with Batman Beyond, which was set roughly twenty-years after the events of Batman: The New Adventures.
The show is legendary for its revolutionary animation style and for being one of the first cartoons that didn’t pander to its audience. The show featured a high standard of writing that would be accessible for a younger audience while simultaneously being a dark and gritty take on the Batman character that older fans could recognize from the comic books. For an entire generation of kids, Batman: The Animated Series was the gateway into comic book superheroes. It would go on to win several awards including a Saturn Award for Best Genre Television Series and multiple Emmy Awards.
Last year, DC Comics released a continuation of Batman: The New Adventures in the form of an all-new comic book series set in this universe called Batman: The Adventure Continues. They would use this new sequel series to introduce fan-favorite DC Comics characters from the world of Batman that had never made it into the Batman: The Animated Series television run like Deathstroke The Terminator, Jean-Paul Valley’s Azreal Batman, and even characters that weren’t created just yet like The Batman Who Laughs and former Robin Jason Todd as the villainous Red Hood.
The series is currently still running, which can only mean good things for the Batman: The Animated Series brand viability. Could this have been Warner Bros. testing the waters to see if there would be interest in more of this universe?
We would like to reiterate that this report is sadly currently only a rumor, but hopefully, we will hear more on this soon! The original Batman: The Animated Series is currently streaming on HBO Max along with all three of the series spinoff feature-length films.
Would you want to see a Batman: The Animated Series sequel series? Or do you think it would be better to leave this iconic piece of animated history alone? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and be sure to stick around Geek Anything for all of the latest Batman news!
Source: GeekTyrant
