Batman: Caped Crusader faces stiff competition even before its release. Production resumed after Warner Bros. Discovery removed the animated series from its HBO Max roster with the aim of selling it to other streaming services for a higher price. According to The Hollywood Reporter’s Heat Vision newsletter, all three streaming giants (Apple TV+, Netflix, and Hulu) are competing to acquire the rights to air the show. The string of original projects that were cancelled, including Merry Little Batman, The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Toons Movie, Bye Bye Bunny: A Looney Toons Musical, Did I Do That to the Holidays: A Steve Urkel Story, and The Amazing World of Gumball: The Movie, was confirmed to be almost entirely about money and not concern quality in a new report. Warner Bros. Discovery under David Zaslav appears to be returning to the practice of selling its content to other venues rather than limiting distribution to HBO Max.
Although this will likely come as a surprise to the show’s creators, it will be met with great relief by the legions of fans who have been waiting for these projects to finally get off the ground. Despite the fact that Caped Crusader wasn’t the only project to be put on hold during the massive Warner Bros. Discovery reorganisation, it was likely the most high-profile and the one fans were most interested in because of the personalities behind it. The project is being developed by Bruce Timm, who co-created the acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series, as a recreation of that universe with a darker, more mature tone than he was given in the ’90s.
The story will explore Batman’s early days as a vigilante when his intellect was more important than the many tools at his disposal. Even while it won’t be a sequel to Timm’s prior work, he promised that by using cutting-edge techniques, the new programme will look just as original as the first. In addition to Timm, Batman director Matt Reeves and J.J. Abrams are executive producers. Aside from having a staff full of Batman experts, the show also hired renowned comic writer Ed Brubaker to serve as showrunner. Batman has survived the upheaval at Warner Bros. Discovery with minimal damage.
Despite Batgirl’s cancellation being a blow to the larger cinematic world, DC’s intentions for the big screen appear to centre on Gotham after securing Reeves to a multi-year pact. In his initial go-around as the World’s Greatest Detective, Reeves helped the franchise break records at the box office and became a serious Oscar candidate. When Batman: The Caped Crusader finds a new home, we’ll have additional information for you.