"The Batman" swoops onto Kids WB!!

[Beast]

From Toonzone:

Warner Bros. Animation will produce The Batman, a new animated series based on the DC Comics character, for Kids WB and Cartoon Network, the studio formally announced today.

The series, which will feature a continuity unrelated to the classic Batman: The Animated Series, will be about a young Batman in the third year of his crime-fighting career as he struggles to establish himself as the protector of Gotham City while balancing his crime-fighting role with his public persona as billionaire bachelor Bruce Wayne. Such classic Rogue's Gallery villains as the Joker, the Penguin, Catwoman, Mr. Freeze, the Riddler and the Man-Bat will appear in stories that detail Batman's first encounters with them.

Batman himself, who will be in his mid-twenties, will live beneath elevated train tracks and within a 150-year-old drainage system, battling adversaries with experimental Bat-gadgets and amped-up Batmobiles. His arsenal of equipment will all be operated and linked by an advanced remote-controlled invention he dubs the "Bat-Wave."

The series' theme song will be performed by U2 member The Edge. No other details of cast or crew have been announced, but Variety confirms that Adam West will appear as the Mayor and that Gina Gershon will voice Catwoman.

"To me, this is a dream project. Batman is the ultimate action-adventure property, and I've been a fan all of my life," says Sam Register, senior vice president of original animation at Cartoon Network. "The characters will remain true to their heritage, but we're going to deliver an action-adventure show that will feel so fresh and stylish that today's kids will love it as much as we all did growing up. I think this new Batman animated series will be a show that kids and their parents will watch together."

http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=102021

MTFBWY and HH!!

Jar Jar Binks

[James Boba Fettfield]

I've been waiting for the next Batman cartoon since Beyond finished production. The details have arrived finally and I am pleased. Justice League and Teen Titans do not give me my superhero fix, hopefully this cartoon will.

Long live Batman, the greatest hero ever!

[Beast]

Worst thing about this news for me, is I'll never see the series. My cable company doesn't carry WB. So I've never seen the last season and a half of X-Men: Evolution even. Thankfully they're slowly releasing those on DVD.

MTFBWY and HH!!

Jar Jar Binks

[James Boba Fettfield]

I'll have to wake up on Saturday mornings, that's bad news for me.

I'm reminded of Miller's Batman character (or Janson, however you want to phrase it) as I look at these pictures. Too bad I can't view this series as a part of the Bruce Timm Batman universe, so perfect it was.

I wonder what kind of toys will come about because of this. Batman, it has been too long. I feel a Batman theme coming on.

[Beast]

Well, Mattel is doing the toy line for it. So I have a feeling we'll get 20 Batman's for every villian that gets released. And no secondary characters at all.

MTFBWY and HH!!

Jar Jar Binks

[James Boba Fettfield]

I think I saw a picture of a Batman toy on the cover of a ToyFare that resembled this Batman. Looked good.

Well, it can't be any worse than the Batman Beyond line. I think there might of been two villians offered for the whole line. Blight and a Joker fellow. Well, I suppose I can just be content with the cartoon for now.

[Darth Trymybestus]

It should be the other way round. One Batman for every 20 villains. There are so many good villains in the Batman world. In my opinion, the villains are what make Batman what it is.

[JediTricks]

Batman himself, who will be in his mid-twenties, will live beneath elevated train tracks and within a 150-year-old drainage system, battling adversaries with experimental Bat-gadgets and amped-up Batmobiles. His arsenal of equipment will all be operated and linked by an advanced remote-controlled invention he dubs the "Bat-Wave."

Oh lordy do I not like the sound of this paragraph. Why not have him be a mutant with bat-radar powers as well?

I wish they had just taken the Batman character from the Justice League show and spun him into his own thing.

[Beast]

Cast news, and a picture of the Mattel Batman and a tease of the Joker. Not sure I like the design of the Joker. Looks too....crazy, I guess would be the best way of putting it. Well, we'll see more at Toy Fair. Maybe it will look better.

Animated The Batman Voice Cast
Source: Zap2it Tuesday, February 10, 2004

Zap2it has more on who's voicing the characters in the new Kids' WB! and Cartoon Network The Batman animated series.

Veteran voice actor Rino Romano ("Spider-Man Unlimited," "Batman Beyond") will provide the voice of Bruce Wayne. Former TV Batman Adam West will play Gotham's mayor, and Ming-Na ("ER") will voice a detective. Gina Gershon ("Prey for Rock & Roll") will play Catwoman, while fellow baddies Joker and Penguin will be voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson ("Like Family," "Static Shock") and Tom Kenny ("SpongeBob SquarePants").

MTFBWY and HH!!

Jar Jar Binks

[James Boba Fettfield]

I think it's Joker's hair that has me thrown off, but I've seen greater liberties taken with Marvel characters and they turned out fine. I'll not worry about this.

Voice casting looks alright, but sad to see no Kevin Conroy.

Adam West as mayor, I hope he plays it like he did the mayor role on Family Guy.