LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight

During Gamescom Opening Night Live, Warner Bros. Games, TT Games, DC, and the LEGO Group announced LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, a brand-new action-adventure videogame inviting players to embark on an epic journey to become the hero of Gotham City, inspired by the 86-year history of Batman films, television shows, comics, and games, all combined with the TT Games’ legendary LEGO humour.

“We are thrilled to announce LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, a fantastic new game designed to entertain and provide enjoyment for every type of player,” said JB Perrette, President and CEO, Streaming & Games, Warner Bros. Discovery. “Our remarkable team at TT Games is working hard to deliver a fresh take on the beloved Batman universe, offering new and improved features beyond previous LEGO games that will excite both longtime fans and gamers of all levels.”

Developed by TT Games, creators of the best-selling LEGO Games franchise, including the critically acclaimed LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, and published by Warner Bros. Games, LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight will release in 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 system, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store.

“All of us at TT Games are incredibly proud to reveal LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, a brand-new game that’s a real celebration of everything Batman,” said Jonathan Smith, Strategic Director & Head of Development Team, TT Games. “We take players on Bruce Wayne’s epic journey to become the legendary hero of Gotham City, incorporating iconic moments from across Batman’s history with our special LEGO twist. Our all-new crime-fighting combat features are amazing fun and take LEGO gameplay to an entirely new level.”

The adventure begins with the origins of Batman as a young Bruce Wayne trains with The League of Shadows, and throughout the story-led campaign, players will build a family of allies with well-known characters including Jim Gordon, Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl, Catwoman, and Talia al Ghul to help confront an ever-growing threat from a Rogues Gallery of DC Super-Villains, facing the likes of The Joker, The Penguin, Poison Ivy, Ra's al Ghul, Bane, and more.

“This is a Batman game that fans will instantly connect with,” said Fredrik Löving, Senior Vice President and Global Head of GAME, The LEGO Group. “Our partners at Warner Bros. Games, TT Games, and DC have created an experience that delivers the style, intensity, and authenticity of Gotham City’s greatest hero, infused with the family-friendly fun of the LEGO brand, making it an exciting experience for LEGO Batman fans old and new.”

While fans (myself included) wait for the release of LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, LEGO is releasing the amazing Arkham Asylum building set on 9th September.

LEGO DC Batman Arkham Asylum is available from LEGO AU, CA, UK and US (affiliate links).

Are you looking forward to LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight? Let me know in the comments below.

Batman: Caped Crusader teases spooky Dark Knight

First announced in 2021, Batman: Caped Crusader was originally in development for HBO Max but was shelved in August 2022 by Warner Bros. Discovery as part of a larger cost-cutting strategy following the merger of the two media behemoths.

The hotly-anticipated animated series, executive produced by Bruce Timm (Batman: The Animated Series), JJ Abrams (Star Wars) and Matt Reeves (The Batman), was picked up for two seasons by Prime Video in early 2023.

Prime Video has dropped an official trailer for Batman: Caped Crusader season one.



Read the official synopsis:

"Welcome to Gotham City, where the corrupt outnumber the good, criminals run rampant and law-abiding citizens live in a constant state of fear. Forged in the fire of tragedy, wealthy socialite Bruce Wayne becomes something both more and less than human—the BATMAN. His one-man crusade attracts unexpected allies within the GCPD and City Hall, but his heroic actions spawn deadly, unforeseen ramifications."

Starring Hamish Linklater as Batman/Bruce Wayne, and featuring a star-studded ensemble cast including: Christina Ricci, Jamie Chung, Diedrich Bader, Minnie Driver, Mckenna Grace, Eric Morgan Stuart, Michelle C. Bonilla, Krystal Joy Brown, John DiMaggio, Paul Scheer, Reid Scott, Tom Kenny, Jason Watkins, Gary Anthony Williams, Dan Donohue, David Krumholtz, Haley Joel Osment and Toby Stephens.

Batman: Caped Crusader premieres exclusively on Prime Video (affiliate link) on 1st August.

Are you looking forward to Batman: Caped Crusader? Let me know in the comments below.

Gargoyles live-action reboot on Disney+

In the wake of Batman: The Animated Series, Gargoyles was a dark animated series released by Disney.

Featuring the voices of Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis from Star Trek: The Next Generation, it aired from 1994 to 1997 and spawned a successful toy line from Kenner.

According to The Hollywood Reporter (THR), the titular Gargoyles are getting a live-action reboot from Gary Dauberman and James Wan’s Atomic Monster on Disney+.

"The Gargoyles are out of the bag," Wan said on Instagram. "Excited to be working with Gary again, on this! He’s a true fan."

The upcoming live-action series is in early development. The original Gargoyles is a gothic masterpiece available on Disney+.

In related news. Gargoyles Remastered (based on the Sega Genisis/Mega Drive 16-bit video game) is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 (PS5), Xbox S|X and PC.

Are you looking forward to Gargoyles in live-action on Disney+? Are you a fan of the original animated series? Let me know in the comments below.

Merry Little Batman

Holy Christmas caper, Batman! Merry Litte Batman, a new animated movie for the holiday season, is coming to Prime Video.

Read the official synopsis:

"Merry Little Batman is an animated family action comedy destined to join the rogue's gallery of classic holiday movies. When young Damian Wayne finds himself alone in Wayne Manor on Christmas Eve, he must transform into "Little Batman'' in order to defend his home and Gotham City from the crooks and supervillains intent on destroying the holidays."

Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and based on characters from DC, Merry Little Batman features the voices of Yonas Kibreab, Luke Wilson, James Cromwell, and David Hornsby, and is directed by Mike Roth (Regular Show) from a screenplay by Morgan Evans (Teen Titans Go!) and Jase Ricci (Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham). Roth also serves as executive producer, alongside Sam Register (Looney Tunes Cartoons).

Merry Little Batman was one of the animated projects cancelled at HBO Max in the wake of the Warner Bros. Discovery merger. Amazon has also acquired Batman: Caped Crusader, from executive producers Bruce Timm, JJ Abrams and Matt Reeves, for Prime Video.

Merry Little Batman will be available on the 8th of December on Prime Video (affiliate link).

Are you looking forward to Merry Little Batman on Prime Video? Let me know in the comments below.

Batman returns in The Flash

Warner Bros. Pictures has released a new trailer for The Flash following an overwhelmingly positive early press screening for the upcoming movie.



Read the official synopsis:

"Worlds collide in “The Flash” when Barry uses his superpowers to travel back in time in order to change the events of the past. But when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned, threatening annihilation, and there are no Super Heroes to turn to. That is, unless Barry can coax a very different Batman out of retirement and rescue an imprisoned Kryptonian… albeit not the one he’s looking for. Ultimately, to save the world that he is in and return to the future that he knows, Barry’s only hope is to race for his life. But will making the ultimate sacrifice be enough to reset the universe?"

The Flash is exclusively in cinemas on 16th June.

Are you excited to see Michael Keaton (Batman Returns) reprise the role of the dark detective? Let me know in the comments below.

Worlds collide in The Flash

During one of the most thrilling Super Bowl finals of my lifetime (Rihanna's Apple Music halftime show was spectacular), a new trailer for The Flash dropped and it's all about DC's Flashpoint.



Read the official synopsis:

"Worlds collide in “The Flash” when Barry uses his superpowers to travel back in time in order to change the events of the past. But when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned, threatening annihilation, and there are no Super Heroes to turn to. That is, unless Barry can coax a very different Batman out of retirement and rescue an imprisoned Kryptonian… albeit not the one he’s looking for. Ultimately, to save the world that he is in and return to the future that he knows, Barry’s only hope is to race for his life. But will making the ultimate sacrifice be enough to reset the universe?"

The DC multiverse explodes with multiple movie incarnations of Batman from Tim Burton (Batman), Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight Trilogy) and Zack Snyder (Justice League) timelines. There's a glimpse of Supergirl, too.

The Flash is exclusively in cinemas on 16th June.

Are you excited to see Michael Keaton (Batman Returns) reprise the role of the dark detective? Let me know in the comments below.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula at 30

30 years ago, I was fixated on Bram Stoker's Dracula during the holiday season of 1992.

Wojciech Kilar's soundtrack CD played on repeat as I wrote and illustrated in earnest, trying to numb the knowledge of finishing college and succumbing to imposter syndrome as the prospect of university weighed heavily on my mind.

Winona Ryder (Stranger Things) was my latest silver screen crush and I couldn't wait to immerse myself in director Francis Ford Coppola's (The Godfather) tragic tale of doomed love.

Those gothic sensibilities would form the foundation of my friendship with Nick Smith when we first met the following year at Bournemouth University. So, it only seems appropriate that Nick, our US-based stellar scribe, examines the vampiric heart of darkness in Bram Stoker's Dracula...

Guest post by Nick Smith

Never underestimate the influence of Tim Burton.

After his dark magical realism filled Warner Bros’ coffers with Batman in 1989, tenebrous fairy tales and film noir were in: Darkman, The Addams Family and Dick Tracy all sought the same audience as Burton’s stylized comic book hit. The formula worked; in a new decade, moviegoers were ready for Gothic frills and thrills after the brash 1980s.

Literal – if not literate – as ever, Hollywood was willing to bankroll a Gothic classic, Bram Stoker’s Dracula. 30 years after its release, the movie holds up both as a frightfully big adventure and an elegiac romance.

Fresh off another girl-meets-monster smash, Edward Scissorhands, Winona Ryder brought the Dracula script to the attention of director Francis Ford Coppola. He adapted it with grand Guignol glee, glorying in multiple homages to iconic film sequences. Like a vampire who did like wine (his own house label), he syphoned imagery from other films and hypnotized us with the spell of cinema.

Look closely and you’ll see bits from Todd Browning’s Dracula (‘the children of the night’ speech, for example); FW Murnau’s expressionistic Nosferatu (especially the outré use of shadows cast by Dracula); The Exorcist (Van Helsing standing in front of a fog-bound house; a vampire projectile-vomiting onto the hunter); Coppola’s own Godfather (religious ritual intercut with murder); and Hammer films (cue dramatic music!).

Imitations notwithstanding, the lush visuals are delightfully sanguine, the costumes are lavish and the sets positively operatic. The impressive cast includes Gary Oldman as Dracula, Ryder as the love of his unlife, Mina, and Anthony Hopkins as Van Helsing, supported by Richard E. Grant, Cary Elwes, Sadie Frost, Tom Waits, Monica Bellucci and, er, Keanu Reeves.

Befitting the owner of American Zoetrope, Coppola riffs on motion picture technology and techniques circa 1897, when the bulk of this story is set: light shows, shadow play, phonograph recordings, iris transitions, peep shows and a nod to the Lumiere Brothers’ Train Pulling into a Station.

Legend has it that when the Lumieres’ early silent film was shown, the audience fled the theatre thinking a real train was heading toward them. In Bram Stoker’s Dracula, a wolf escapes from the zoo and sends people packing. Coppola compares a filmic rumour with a literary myth; by taming the wolf, Dracula indicates that he commands the mystery of film – just like the director.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula cost $40 million to make - a whopping sum back in 1992 - and grossed almost $216 million at the box office. It helped drag the Count out of his Sesame Street doldrums into the late 20th Century, setting the stage for more classic monster revivals, including Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and The Wolfman.

Playing like a dark dream, the film works best today as a celebration of the epistolary source novel, classic Hollywood and practical makeup effects. The romance between Dracula and his reincarnated partner is splendidly intense; Mina must choose between the exotic bad boy Count and the waiflike Jonathan Harker. The choice is not easy for her, especially after Dracula points out that he has ‘crossed oceans of time’ for her.

No pressure.

This was the last big movie for Francis Ford Coppola, the godfather of modern populist cinema. Pulling out all the stops, he ends with a bloody bang. Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a landmark love song for a vampire and a long, extravagant love note to the intense emotions movies can evoke.

Have you seen Bram Stoker's Dracula? What did you think? How does it compare with other adaptations? Let me know in the comments below.

Kevin Conroy, the voice of Batman, has died

Kevin Conroy, synonymous with being the voice of the dark detective since fan-favourite Batman: The Animated Series began in 1992, has passed away aged 66.

Growing up, I watched reruns of Adam West's Batman television series and saw Michael Keaton's Batman at the cinema with college friends. However, it's Conroy's distinctive voice I can hear inside my head as I type these words.

In the wake of director Tim Burton's blockbusters Batman and Batman Returns, Batman: The Animated Series was born. This is considered by many fans (myself included) as the definitive dark night, with Conroy's performance regarded as one of the very best, and spawned a thrilling theatrical tie-in: Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. I took my Kenner action figure collection with me to university.

Mark Hamill on the passing of Conroy: "Kevin was perfection," recalled Hamill, who redefined the Joker playing opposite Conroy's Batman. "He was one of my favourite people on the planet, and I loved him like a brother. He truly cared for the people around him - his decency shone through everything he did. Every time I saw him or spoke with him, my spirits were elevated."

"Kevin was a brilliant actor," Hamill said. "For several generations, he has been the definitive Batman. It was one of those perfect scenarios where they got the exact right guy for the exact right part, and the world was better for it. His rhythms and subtleties, tones and delivery - that all also helped inform my performance. He was the ideal partner - it was such a complementary, creative experience. I couldn't have done it without him. He will always be my Batman."

Thank you for voicing the dark detective in the definitive Batman series and beyond for over 30 years.

My deepest condolences to his husband and his whole family and everyone else who loved him. RIP Kevin Conroy!

What are your memories of Conroy's Batman? Let me know in the comments below.

Mark Hamill returns to Jack in the Box

Before Mark Hamill saved the galaxy as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars and played The Joker in Batman, the fan-favourite actor was fired from Jack in the Box.

Hamill recently returned to help promote spicy chicken strips and french toast sticks.



Read the official synopsis:

"Actor and movie icon Mark Hamill returns to one of his very first roles: working the Jack in the Box drive thru. He was fired the first time for doing character voices. Now he's surprising fans with voices, autographs and tales from the past."

He said that while speaking to customers, "I thought you should talk like a clown, which is what I did. I thought it was amusing — my boss thought it was annoying."

Hamill explained that his boss ordered him to stop, and he did as he was told.

"But when the work day was finished [my boss] said, 'You know what Mark, if you can't take this job seriously, maybe this isn't right for you.' In other words, go and never come back," Hamill continued.

"What are the chances of a former employee who let you go, asking you to come back? It was too good to [pass up]. I said, 'I've got to do this' because it's so personal, and it actually happened."

How cool would it be to be served by Mark Hamill at a drive-thru? Let me know in the comments below.

Alan Grant: 2000 AD and Batman mastermind

I was a fan long before I knew the name of the acclaimed writer who wrote many of my favourite childhood comics from 2000 AD to Batman! That writer was Alan Grant.

Nick Smith, our resident US-based stellar scribe, remembers a comic book legend.

Guest post by Nick Smith

The world was on the brink of destruction. Only one tough-nut future cop stood between the survival of the civilized world and its bitter end. I witnessed The Apocalypse War at the tender age of 10, shelling out 16p a week to pick up an ingenious comic called 2000 AD and reading a handful of pages, flip-ticking towards doomsday.

Although Judge Dredd was a stoic, dependable protagonist, there were no guarantees of success in this epic series, which tapped into the fears of kids like me. In June 1982, the same month Dredd was depicted on the cover of 2000 AD riding a nuclear missile like a grim Slim Pickens warhead warrior, one million anti-nuke protesters marched in New York. Nuclear war was the prevalent stuff of nightmares.

Two years earlier, the British Government had distributed Protect and Survive, a pamphlet that landed through my letterbox telling me what to do in the event of a nuclear attack (‘if you are not at home… lie in a ditch,’ an accompanying public information film said reassuringly).

While disturbing at the time, the Protect and Survive materials look quaint now. Mega-City One’s trusty Judge, conversely, is as timely as ever, with better dialogue: ‘Gaze into the fist of Dredd!’

Comics fed my brain more effectively than Home Office literature. Predating the feature film WarGames and cautionary TV movies The Day After and Threads, The Apocalypse War was the most immediate representation of the threat of worldwide nuclear catastrophe, put in the hands of kids, encouraging them to think and hopefully make a better future.

Grant took the comic book form and used it to explore vast topics – politics, philosophy, personal freedom and vigilantism. In RoboHunter, he created downtrodden mechanical people more deserving of our sympathy than some humans. In the finale of the Judge Child saga, he helped John Wagner combine space opera with a family of hillbilly killers (the Angel Gang) and a young, bald boy who could do strange telepathic things on the planet Xanadu. Grant and Wagner made all these elements work in a tour de force of cohesive world-building.

As I thrilled to Grant’s Future Shocks, Blackhawk, Ace Trucking Co. (written with Wagner), Judge Dredd, and Doomworld (in a relaunched Eagle comic), little did I know that he was born in my hometown of Bristol, England. Sensibly, he moved to Newtongrange, Scotland while still in nappies.

Bristol was lonely for me – I was the only writer, dreamer and 2000 AD fan I knew. But Grant’s comic book adventures helped me to escape from my loneliness and trust that there was an avenue for storytellers like me. Like him.

Later, in my teens, I was excited to find Grant’s name pop up with Wagner’s, writing Detective Comics and Batman. Cue long-lasting, vivid villains like Ventriloquist, Ratcatcher, Victor Zsasz, and Anarky, the latter proving that a personal philosophy could be the fuel for a story or character (at the time, Grant was an anarchist).

As always, these characters were ingenious and sympathetic and Grant obviously enjoyed playing in this world, coming up with memorable new villains. So what if Batman sounded like Judge Dredd? If you didn’t like it you didn’t have to read it, creep!

While Grant kept writing and editing comics as well as publishing through his company Bad Press Ltd, he also encouraged creativity in his own community. In 2020, he led a project with his fellow residents of Moniaive, Dumfriesshire, to make a comic about COVID and the resilient spirit of the locals. He passed away on July 20th, 2022 but his ideas and great tales and iconic heroes (and villains!) live on.

It doesn’t matter whether a story is set in the past or the future, the real world or some fantasy land. If the writing is exquisite and the characters vivid, that story will inspire as well as entertain.

Alan Grant was a master of his craft and he will be missed.

Warner Bros. Discovery to protect DC

Following news that the upcoming Batgirl movie starring Leslie Grace as the titular superheroine and Michael Keaton reprising the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman has been shelved following early test screenings, the newly-merged Warner Bros. Discovery has announced a 10-year plan in hopes of emulating Marvel Studios' success.

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said:

"You look at Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman - these are brands that are known everywhere in the world," he said of some of the company's biggest characters.

Haven't DC fans (myself included) been here before with Zack Snyder?

"We have done a reset. We've restructured the business where we are going to focus, where there is going to be a team with a 10-year plan focusing just on DC."

He added: "We believe we can build a much more sustainable business."

An estimated $70 million (£57.6 million) had already been spent making Batgirl for HBO Max. HBO Max will be merged with Discovery+ in 2023.

I suspect the streaming wars will witness rapid consolidation as consumers face a protracted recession and cost of living crisis. Apple TV+, Disney+ and Paramount+ will continue to gain ground on Netflix.

Do you think Warner Bros. Discovery will revitalise the DC brand? Do you care? Let me know in the comments below.

Chaos and confusion in Moon Knight

Marvel Studios' Moon Knight is the House of M's answer to DC's Batman and an unknown quantity to this true believer.

Nick Smith, our US-based stellar scribe and comic book doyen, embarks on a mystery tour in the pale moonlight.

Guest post by Nick Smith

When I think of Moon Knight, I think of a dark avenger lurking in the shadows of New York’s rooftop water towers, occasionally switching identities to no-nonsense merc Marc Spector. I don’t think of goofy comedy and double-decker London buses.

But that’s what we get with Marvel Studios' new series and, thanks mainly to Oscar Isaac’s (Star Wars, Ex Machina) charisma, the results are intriguing and enjoyable to watch.

Originated by Doug Moench and Don Perlin, the character of Moon Knight’s been kicking nocturnal butt for decades. Show creator Jeremy Slater faced a challenge – how to make him stand out in a crowd of DC and Marvel superhero shows? So although the amount of humour is surprising, it’s understandable. It also makes the darker elements of the show – tireless jackals, a life-draining bad guy – more palatable to a family audience.

By daring to focus on powers instead of glowers and comedy over brutality, Moon Knight stands a better chance of sticking in the consciousness of viewers unfamiliar with his comics.

The first two episodes are packed with information. We meet Steven Grant, a sleepwalking shop assistant in a museum. We’re left to wonder whether the voice he hears is a sign of mental illness, or if he’s a ‘sleeper identity’ for Spector the mercenary. We also meet Arthur Harrow, a mysterious cult leader played with long-haired earnest by Ethan Hawke. Then there’s the skull-beaked god Khonshu, voiced by F. Murray Abraham. Khonshu offers Steven venomous advice to fend off any threats.

The show focuses on these three characters, although May Calamawy pops up as Marc’s abandoned wife Layla El-Faouly. For most of the time, Isaac plays Steven as scared, confused and beaten down. This turns the key to unlock Moon Knight’s potential. We get a glimpse of what it’s like to have a mental disorder.

Those without such a challenge don’t have the education or experience to empathise fully. And why would they want to think like a lunatic? It’s much safer and more entertaining to watch one go through the unpredictable motions on TV.

Steven Grant questions his sanity, struggling to survive in an unsettling and sometimes frightening environment. He is belittled and fired by his boss, patronized by colleagues, given a pamphlet and sent on his way.

Moon Knight isn’t the first hero to have his mental faculties questioned.

Much has been made of Bruce Wayne dressing up as a bat and coping with childhood trauma. Bruce Banner has serious anger management issues. However, Isaac gives Grant such vulnerability that the audience is left desperate for the hero within him to take over.

It’s a great way to depict the internal struggle for control that real sufferers of dissociative identity disorder go through.

Underlying this crisis of personality, there are references to Egyptian mythology that highlight obscure gods and give Moon Knight’s story an epic scope. Cue oodles of CGI, from pyramids to Khonshu’s skeletal form to the Knight himself, depicted in an almost-seamless blend of digital and live-action filmmaking as he tumbles over distinctly British roofs.

London itself is given an old-world charm, especially when we encounter a gaggle of Harrow’s cult members. A parade of chirping chimney sweeps would not seem out of place. But there are enough contemporary touches, like a human statue and a bus ride, to anchor us in reality.

All these elements lead to convoluted results. Luckily this is Isaac’s show so we’re in good hands, whatever accent he’s using. He is an exceptional actor leading us through a meticulously paced adventure that keeps us wondering what will happen next.

Even in a landscape with a multitude of comic book-inspired viewing options, a carefully crafted show like this only comes along once in a blue moon.

New episodes of Marvel Studios' Moon Knight premiere every Wednesday exclusively on Disney+.

Are you watching Marvel Studios' Moon Knight on Disney+? Let me know in the comments below.

The Darkest Knight

As I've written previously, one of my fondest undergraduate memories was attending a special 70mm screening of Tim Burton's Batman, with Nick Smith, at the Odeon Bournemouth.

So, it's only justice that my scholarly partner-in-crime dons the dark detective's cowl for The Batman. The Dark Knight Trilogy casts a long shadow... How does this latest incarnation compare?

Guest post by Nick Smith

The Batman has been a long time coming. It was worth the wait.

The DC Comics adaptation was heralded when Ben Affleck assembled the Justice League and the title was confirmed in 2016. The movie was teased over the past couple of years, with cast/crew interviews and trailers. Ultimately, Robert Pattinson (Tenet) would replace Affleck in the titular role. Meanwhile, Zack Snyder's Justice League is a touching tribute to familial love and loss.

It wasn’t anybody’s fault – COVID-19 slowed down production, with multiple breaks in filming. Sadly, one crew member died after becoming infected. This grim event shrouded an already gloomy movie, which blends Denny O’Neil’s dark knight detective, David Fincher’s serial killer thriller Se7eN, and the relative realism of Batman: Year One.

In this lengthy tale, Bruce Wayne is two years into his vigilantism. He’s a haunted emo kid who sulks and sneers at his father figure, Alfred Pennyworth (Andy Serkis), while coming to terms with the brutal death of Thomas and Martha Wayne. Thankfully, we’re not subjected to yet another rerun of their murders, which has been depicted innumerable times in comics, animation and live-action films.

Yet the tragic event permeates this movie down to the final turning point, where another orphan compares his fate to Bruce’s.

Pattinson gives an enthrallingly broody performance as the driven rich kid Bruce, keeping the pouty facial expressions that made him infamous in The Twilight Saga to a minimum. Zoe Kravitz, who previously voiced Catwoman in The LEGO Batman Movie, reprises her role with enthusiasm and makes her character’s soap opera-worthy lineage plausible. The Batsuit, vehicles and Batcave help to make their environment as authentic as possible.

The real standout characters are James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) and Alfred Pennyworth. The actors flesh out these two-dimensional DC characters and make them seem as if they’ve been breathing in the shadows of this grimy fictional city all their lives, weary yet still hopeful thanks to the Batman.

Beyond keeping it real, though, director Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, War for the Planet of the Apes) has a palpable love for the Batman’s grittily woven world. His joyful response to getting the opportunity to play in Gotham’s gutters shows through in the action scenes, the tone of the film and even in the music from Oscar-winning composer Michael Giacchino (Spider-Man: No Way Home), which occasionally echoes the ‘60s TV show theme.

Allowing Pattinson to react like a human being to dangerous circumstances, rather than an invulnerable hero, Reeves entertains the audience while keeping up a sense of danger and doom. He pulls off this tough balancing act so well he'd put the Flying Graysons to shame.

Affleck portrayed an older, more cynical Bruce Wayne and it would be great to get beyond the hero’s early years. But in the meantime, it’s a treat to mire ourselves in the devilish, demented Gotham of The Batman.

Have you seen The Batman? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.

Listen to The Batman theme

This weekend I celebrate my birthday and am reminded of being gifted an iconic Corgi Batmobile in the mid-seventies. A friend shared an official link to Oscar-winning composer Michael Giacchino's (Spider-Man: No Way Home) theme for Matt Reeves' The Batman, and I had to share it.



Michael Giacchino successfully builds on the legacy of Danny Elfman (Batman), Shirley Walker (Batman: The Animated Series) and Hans Zimmer (The Dark Knight Trilogy). You can listen to the theme in lossless audio on Apple Music.

The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson as the titular dark detective, is exclusively in cinemas on 4th March 2022.

Are you looking forward to The Batman? What are your thoughts on the theme? Let me know in the comments below.

Batgirl first look on HBO Max

The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson (The Twilight Saga) as the titular dark detective, is exclusively in cinemas this March.

Batgirl gets her own spin-off origin movie exclusively on HBO Max later this year, and actress Leslie Grace (In the Heights) took to social media to share an official first look at the iconic costume.

Michael Keaton (Batman) is expected to reprise the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman.

Are you looking forward to the upcoming Batgirl movie on HBO Max? What are your thoughts on the costume? Let me know in the comments below.

The Bat and The Cat

Director Matt Reeves' The Batman is in cinemas next March. Warner Bros. has dropped a new trailer focussing on the complex relationship between Batman (Robert Pattinson) and Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz).



The Batman is in cinemas on 4th March 2022.

Are you looking forward to The Batman? What are your thoughts on the trailer? Let me know in the comments below.

Hot Wheels R/C The Batman Batmobile

Mattel has produced Hot Wheels Batmobiles before, but this is one of the toy company's most detailed (and expensive) to date.

Therefore I couldn't miss mentioning this must-have for premium collectors.

Announced during DC FanDome 2021. This 1:10 scale movie-accurate Hot Wheels R/C replica of The Batman's Batmobile, featuring an animatronic 6-inch Batman and Batcave display, will cost you $500 direct from Mattel Creations or more on eBay once it's sold out.

I'll save myself $500 (before international shipping and import duties) and continue to admire my 1:18 scale Hot Wheels Batmobile from Tim Burton's Batman.

Will you be ordering a Hot Wheels R/C The Batman Batmobile? Let me know in the comments below.

The Batman behind-the-scenes at DC FanDome

To conclude our DC FanDome 2021 coverage. Here's a behind-the-scenes look at The Batman, directed by Matt Reeves and starring Robert Pattinson as the titular dark detective.



"For some reason, Batman just always stood out as one of the major characters of the 20th century that so many people connected with on such a deep level - and for so many different reasons," Pattinson says in the IGN clip. "The first conversation with Matt [Reeves] I had about it, I just knew there was something radically different from anything we'd seen in Batman movies before... Right from the beginning, there's a desperation to him. He's really working out this rage. All the fights seem very personal... He wants to inflict his kind of justice. He's just compelled to do it. There is no other option."

"I felt we'd seen a lot of origin stories," director Matt Reeves adds. "We'd seen things go further and further into fantasy, and I thought 'Well one place we haven't been is grounding it the way that 'Year One' does. To come right into a young Batman. Not be an origin tale but refer to his origins and shake him to his core."

"That great thing about this world is the grey area," Zoe Kravitz (Catwoman) explains. "Catwoman really wants to fight for those who don't have someone else to fight for them. And that's where Batman and her really connect."

Whilst filming of The Batman was delayed due to the pandemic, fan reaction (myself included) has been overwhelmingly positive.



The Batman is in cinemas (hopefully as Nick Smith suggests) on 4th March 2022.

Holy DC FanDome, Batman!

DC FanDome was in response to the ongoing global pandemic and lockdowns, which saw conventions cancelled en masse last year.

Wisely, Warner Bros. has brought it back for a second year and, like many DC Comics fans, I'd be pleased to see DC FanDome become an annual online event to watch on my Apple TV.

Nick Smith, my US-based partner in comic book crime-fighting, has thoughts...

Guest post by Nick Smith

Batman is big business. After eight decades in the public consciousness, the franchise character is estimated to have earned almost $28 billion in retail, box office returns and other media. But it’s not just the Dark Knight who brings in the bucks – Bruce’s just a bonus. DC FanDome’s 2021 line-up shows how much the Bat-family has grown in popularity over recent years.

DC FanDome is a virtual event designed to showcase new or returning projects and celebrate the publishing company’s beloved characters. This year’s ‘ultimate DC fan experience’ included clips and interviews available to watch on YouTube. Many of those clips were based around the Bat.



The FanDome’s sneak peeks, presented by actors, directors and producers, included Batwoman, Batgirl, Titans, Harley Quinn, a Gotham Knights game, Catwoman: Hunted, Batman Unburied, Batman: Wayne Family Adventures, Batman: Caped Crusader and Pennyworth, all birthed in the streets of Gotham.

Even Todd McFarlane got in on the act, discussing the merger with DC Direct and McFarlane Toys, focusing on Batman-related figurines in what felt more like a sales expo pitch than a guest appearance from a well-known comics creator.

DC’s emphasis on its best-known characters – Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman (celebrating her 80th anniversary) – is understandable. They’re a known quantity that casual fans want to see and are more likely to spend money on. But the company has dozens of heroes and villains to promote in the hope that one of them will take off in movie theatres or on TV, so it would be good to see more balance and diversity on a day like this.

There were breaks from the big guns. Members of the general public don’t know Black Adam from… Adam. But they know Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, who hyped up a Black Adam flick last year. With a summer 2022 release date, Johnson was back with a preview showing Adam’s intro.

Other segments had stars to help raise the stature of their projects: Jason Momoa (Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom), John Cena (Peacemaker), Zachary Levi (Shazam! Fury of the Gods). News Flashes were reported by Candice Patton (Iris West-Allen on TV). All these teases and news bites led up to a new trailer for The Batman, the COVID-slowed feature film arriving (we hope) in March 2022.

The major project delays were cheekily acknowledged, especially in a tiny tease for the live-action feature The Flash (adapting Flashpoint) and an animated pastiche plugging an unfinished new season of Harley Quinn. It might have been the music or Ezra Miller’s candid intro but the Flash tease proved less is more… right down to the final non-image of a batmobile. Which model will it be? We’ll have to wait until they film more of the movie to find out.

This brings us back to The Batman, keeping his presence felt throughout the FanDome. The latest take on the caped crusader is appropriately dark and gritty, with a Blade Runner-bricked landscape, an Edward Hopper-style opening image and other trailer tropes we’ve come to expect. Slowed-down rock song? Check. Rapid flashes to black? Check. Vengeful hero? Double-check. The focus this time is on violence (lots of punching, hitting and crashing) leavened by Zoe Kravitz’s caring Catwoman.

Director Matt Reeves has given this film a lot of TLC and attempts to give hoary chestnut images a new spin. Case in point: The Batman walks away from a wall of fire a la RoboCop and countless other movie heroes; this shot is upside down. We also get a good hard look at Batman’s bullet-proof chin; shots bounce of Robert Pattinson’s chiselled jaw.

The more I watch the trailer, the more I like it but the Flash tease gives me more goosebumps per second, even though we’ve seen Flashpoint regurgitated multiple timelines’ worth in comics, animated movies and on TV. Both new films look solid, as well as less famed features like Blue Beetle, starring Xolo Maridueña.

DC FanDome is a convention with no queues and no expensive entry fees. Everyone gets a front-row seat. There are downsides though: no Q&A this year, no one-on-one meetings with the stars and, most importantly, no in-person camaraderie among fans.

Presented as a digital storefront, this year’s DC FanDome seems more like lip service to comic book aficionados. We are told, ‘you’re the best fans ever.’ Yes, we are. But the best way to remind and reward us is to provide more collaborative content. It’s time to spend Bruce Wayne’s billions to utilize the internet’s full interactive capabilities.

Did you watch DC FanDome? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.

The Batman at DC FanDome

“It’s not just a signal; it’s a warning,” Batman (Robert Pattinson) chillingly intones in a voice-over for a Twitter teaser shared on Thursday. The Bat-Signal symbolises hope. Could this be the darkest Batman movie yet?

A new trailer for The Batman, directed by Matt Reeves (Cloverfield), premiered Saturday during DC FanDome 2021.



Batman fans (myself included) have taken to Twitter with their reactions.

“The Batman is nearly three hours long. It’s a full on detective noir epic. The story takes place during the week of Halloween. Batman keeps a journal and it’s read to the audience in voiceover,” one fan tweeted.

“Please inject this film into my veins. It’s absolutely everything I’ve ever wanted.”

Another wrote: “This is unlike any comic book movie we have ever seen before — it is the perfect mix of pure talent and passion. I have full faith that this holds the potential to become the greatest adaptation of Bruce Wayne ever made.”

Stay tuned to this Batchannel for Nick Smith's DC FanDome deep dive.

The Batman is in cinemas on 4th March 2022.

Are you looking forward to The Batman? What are your thoughts on the trailer? Let me know in the comments below.