Batman, Bruce Timm, JJ Abrams’ Animated HBO Max Series Caped Crusader

The creator of the beloved Batman: The Animated Series and architect of the DC Animated Universe has returned. Bruce Timm, along with J.J. Abrams and The Batman’s Matt Reeves, will executive produce a brand-new animated series for HBO Max and Cartoon Network simply titled Batman: Caped Crusader.

In a joint statement, the three producers said: “We are beyond excited to be working together to bring this character back, to tell engrossing new stories in Gotham City. The series will be thrilling, cinematic and evocative of Batman’s noir roots, while diving deeper into the psychology of these iconic characters. We cannot wait to share this new world.” That’s all very generic, and there are zero other details about the series other than this promo art, which shows Batman’s cowl with larger ears on the side of his cowl instead of the top, which is highly reminiscent of his look from the Dark Knight’s earliest comics:

Matt Reeves is of course currently directing The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson, as well as developing its spin-off HBO series Gotham P.D. Meanwhile, Abrams is producing Ta-Nehisi Coates’ upcoming Superman movie, a Justice League Dark live-action TV series, and a Zatanna film. And Bruce Timm’s been a player in the world of DC Entertainment for 30 years. So Batman: Caped Crusader is potentially a very important—and very cool—new animated series.

Batman: Caped Crusader will be coming to HBO Max, most likely in 2022. When we know more you’ll know more.

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