DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation is about to translate one of the most iconic stories in Batman’s long history into a feature length straight-to-video cartoon. BATMAN: YEAR ONE is going to be an adaptation of the 1987 Frank Miller comic of the same name that was illustrated by David Mazzucchelli. It was a four part comic book series that chronicled the early days of Batman as a costumed hero and showcased the early bond Batman created with Lieutenant James Gordon.
While die hard fans of the comic book series may be a little hesitant, executive producer Bruce Timm had this to say to all the loyal fans out there:
“The source material is surprisingly cinematic; it’s a pretty straight forward literal retelling,” he says. “Mazzucchelli’s artwork is beautifully composed and we were able to refer to the comic for about 80 percent of the camera setups.”
Today we get out first official look at this exciting new project with two new images displayed below. Also, the voice cast has been revealed and includes Ben McKenzie (THE O.C., SOUTHLAND) as Batman/Bruce Wayne, Bryan Cranston (BREAKING BAD, MALCOM IN THE MIDDLE) as James Gordon, Eliza Dushku (DOLLHOUSE, TRUE LIES) as Catwoman, and Katee Sackhoff (BATTLESTAR GALACTICA) as a Gordon love interest.
Bryan Cranston as Gordon is a brilliant casting choice and if this cartoon is anything like the recent BATMAN: UNDER THE RED HOOD adaptation we are in for a real treat. I am very excited to see this film as a fan of the original source material and the Batman universe as a whole.
BATMAN: YEAR ONE will be rated PG-13 (awesome!) and is due for release on home video this fall. It has also been announced that it will have a premiere showing at this years San Diego Comicon event in late June.
