Over 30 years ago, DC Comics shocked the world when the masked villain Bane "broke the Bat." Now, for the very first time, Warner Bros is bringing the Batman: Knightfall epic to animation in a trio of animated features. The first trailer for the trilogy was released at the Annency Animation Film Festival today.
In the trailer, Batman (Anson Mount, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds) is dealing with rising chaos in Gotham City. His colorful rogues gallery of foes, including the Joker, Two-Face, Mr. Freeze, Scarecrow, the Riddler, and the Tally Man, are rampaging through the city, driving Batman and his allies Robin and Nightwing to the brink. Behind it all is the monolithic, steroid-fueled powerhouse known as Bane (Michael Mando, Better Call Saul). He knows all of Batman's secrets...including how to destroy him. With Batman broken, times are changing, and they may call for a new Dark Knight: Jean-Paul Valley (Pablo Schreiber, Halo), a man tutored in combat by a secretive religious order. However, when his methods prove to be too brutal, the true Batman must reclaim his cowl. The trailer teases the first animated appearances of both Valley's high-tech Batman costume and his hooded appearance as the vigilante Azrael.
Deriving from the germ of an idea left by Peter Milligan, the concept of Knightfall was devised by Batman editor Dennis O'Neil and the bevy of creatives on the Batman family of comic books, including Doug Moench, Chuck Dixon, Alan Grant, Peter David, Jo Duffy, Jim Aparo, Graham Nolan, Norm Breyfogle, and Jim Balent. After the shocking conclusion of the story's first act, in which Bane uses his superhuman strength to break Batman's back, the year-long epic metaphorically pitted Batman against the anti-heroes of the 1990s, who casually used brutal violence and even lethal force against their foes. The event coincidentally happened at the same time as another major event at DC Comics; The Death of Superman, in which the Man of Steel was slain in battle with the hulking Doomsday and was replaced by four would-be successors. It was loosely adapted into The Dark Knight Rises, which centered around Bane (Tom Hardy) and his quest to destroy both Batman and Gotham City.
Batman: Knightfall was directed by Jeff Wamester (Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths) and written by Jeremy Adams (Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons). Rick Morales serves as supervising producer alongside producers Jim Krieg and Kimberly S. Moreau; Sam Register and Michael Uslan executive produce.
Batman: Knightfall is coming soon; no release date has yet been announced. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
