Warner Bros. and DC Comics have released a clip for their upcoming animated Batman film.
Dark Knight Returns is based on the Frank Miller graphic novel by the same name, which is set in the same version of Gotham as Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One, the book which served as a major inspiration for Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins.
The story takes place ten years after Batman has retired. It’s the 80’s – this Batman was a child of the 1930’s, and there are references to the Cold War, and images of Ronald Regan as president of the United States – Gotham has descended into chaos and an old enemy has come to town. When Batman heads out into this dystopian Gotham, however, he finds an ally in a new Robin.
This clip depicts the reemergence of Batman after his long absence, witnessed by a pair of policemen, one rookie who doesn’t get what’s going on, and a veteran who knows to give Batman space. It serves as a telling scene that quickly shows how the authorities might react to the second coming of The Bat.
The film will be released in multiple parts, like the book, though without the separate titles found in the book.
The first issue covers a bit of backstory, Bruce’s desision to return to the costume – to stop Harvey Dent from destroying the city with a nuclear bomb, and the introduction of Carrie Kelley’s Robin – the third Robin for this Batman.
Here’s the trailer for the first part:
And a new synopsis of the story:
It’s been a decade since Bruce Wayne hung up his cape, following most of the other superheroes who had been forced into retirement. Facing the downside of middle age, a restless Bruce Wayne pacifies his frustration with race cars and liquor – but the bat still beckons as he watches his city fall prey to gangs of barbaric criminals known as The Mutants.
We’re also able to list some of the special features found on the Blu-ray combo pack for Part 1:
- Standard and high definition versions of the feature film
- UltraViolet
- Sneak Peak at Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2, the next DC Universe Animated Original Movie
- Featurette – “Her Name is Carrie … Her Role is Robin” – An all-new featurette. Experience the role of Robin, through the eyes of a female warrior.
- Featurette – “Batman and Me: The Bob Kane Story” – A documentary comprehensively chronicling the remarkable life of the creator of Batman.
- Two bonus episodes from Batman: The Animated Series handpicked by producer Alan Burnett: Two-Face, Parts 1 and 2
- Digital Comic – “Batman: The Dark Knight Returns” (digital comic with cover art and three full comic pages)
It’ll be great to see those Batman: The Animated Series episodes in Blu-ray HD. Perhaps they’ll remaster the entire series one day.
The Dark Knight Returns – Part 1 Blu-ray Combo pack hits shelves on September 25th, 2012. You can preorder over on Amazon.
