Batman: Caped Crusader Adds Comic Author Ed Brubaker To The Team

Great news, Bat-fans — esteemed comics author Ed Brubaker has joined the creative team behind the upcoming "Batman: Caped Crusader" animated series for HBO Max. The series will team Brubaker with "Batman: The Animated Series" producer Bruce Timm. "Batman: The Animated Series" is considered by some fans to be the best version of Batman ever released, including live-action movies and shows and the comic books where he got his start. Brubaker joining Timm is great news, as he also has some serious comic book cred. 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Brubaker will be running the writers room for the series alongside Timm, who will serve as showrunner. Both Brubaker and Timm will executive produce, joining J.J. Abrams and "The Batman" director Matt Reeves. The series is a collaboration between HBO Max and Cartoon Network, and the producers have said the goal is to "once again reinvent Batman and his iconic rogue's gallery with sophisticated storytelling, nuanced characters and intense action sequences all set in a visually striking world."

Brubaker is an established comics writer, best known for co-creating the character The Winter Soldier. He's also the man behind "Captain America: The Death of Captain America," "Gotham Noir," "Batman: The Man Who Laughs," and a slew of other gritty pulp and noir titles like "Reckless," "Criminal," and, well, "Pulp." He first gained notoriety for his 2004 "Catwoman: Relentless" series, so clearly he's had Gotham on the brain for quite some time. 

In a statement to THR, Brubaker shared his excitement and a little-known fact about his career origins:

"Here's something few people know, but the original 'Batman: The Animated Series' was one of the things that made me want to write superhero comics in general, and Batman in particular. If not for what Bruce Timm and all the talented writers and artists did with that show, things like my revamp of Catwoman with Darwyn Cooke (who worked on 'BTAS') and Gotham Central with Greg Rucka and Michael Lark, would never have happened. So when Bruce Timm offered me the chance to come work on this new reimagining of Batman with him, James Tucker, J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves, I jumped at it. Their vision for the show, with a slightly more pulpy take on the character, and a new way of looking at the world of Gotham, set in the past but viewed through a modern lens really sold me, and so far every part of it has been a blast to work on. I can't wait until the rest of the world can see what we've been building the last few months in the writers room. All I can say is, it's not what anyone is expecting ... but in a good way."

While details are still under wraps, with this team behind a new animated Batman series, things are looking great for Gotham. "Batman: Caped Crusader" does not currently have a release date.