Batman: Caped Crusader Animated Series Finds New Home At Amazon, Gets Two-Season Order
Warner Bros. Discovery's loss has turned into Amazon's gain. It has been revealed that "Batman: Caped Crusader," the long-in-development animated series from J.J. Abrams, Matt Reeves, and Bruce Timm, will now debut on Amazon Prime Video as opposed to HBO Max, as was originally the plan. What's more, Amazon is going all-in on the show, as the company has handed a two-season order to the series according to The Hollywood Reporter.
It had previously been reported that HBO Max was not moving forward with "Caped Crusader" as a result of restructuring by Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav. Instead, the project was shopped around to potential buyers, with Amazon coming out on top. Netflix, Apple, and Hulu are said to have been in the running as well. It all has to do with cost-cutting moves being spearheaded by Zaslav, who is trying to get WBD's financials in order, as the company finds itself in heavy debt.
Abrams and Reeves are on board as executive producers alongside Timm, who headed up the much-beloved "Batman: The Animated Series." Abrams, director of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," has a big overall deal at Warner Bros. Discovery, while Reeves, director of "The Batman," has a big hand in the future of the DC Universe as the man behind his own Bat-verse. This includes "The Batman 2," as well as spin-off shows like "Penguin."
Batman gets a new home
Currently, Warner Bros. Discovery is looking to relaunch the DC Universe, with DC Studios co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran recently laying out plans for the first wave of projects, including several shows and movies. The idea is that most everything will be connected from here on out, including animation, games, movies, you name it. But projects that aren't in the main DCU will be labeled as "Elseworlds" projects, and it seems like "Caped Crusader" will be one of those projects, given that it's destined for Prime Video.
There is no word yet on casting for the series, though it has been in the works for some time, so one imagines that many of the creative decisions have been quietly made behind the scenes. Be that as it may, there is no word on just how long it will take to actually get the episodes ready to air, so it still could be a while. It also means that we are going to have several Batmen going at once, with Robert Pattinson in "The Batman" universe, whoever is cast to star in the main DCU that Gunn and Safran are putting together, and the actor voicing him in this show.
Meanwhile, Amazon is dipping its toe in both the DC and Marvel ponds, as the company also has a deal with Sony to produce several "Spider-Man" shows, including "Silk" and the recently announced "Spider-Man: Noir" series. Not to mention "The Boys" and that ever-growing universe. They've put together a nice little stable of superhero shows, that much is certain.
"Batman: Caped Crusader" does not yet have a release date.