It’s been announced that DC’s animation folks would be taking on The Dark Knight Returns, but we’ve finally got some details on cast and crew. Namely, if you thought that Michael Ironside or Kevin Conroy would take on the role, you’ll be disappointed and then possibly comforted to hear they’ve hired Peter Weller to voice Wayne/Batman. The Robocop star has a fine voice and, though I hate to admit it, is probably a more well-rounded choice than bringing back Ironside to reprise his very brief turn as Miller’s Batman in the Dark Knight Returns tribute segment of Batman: The Animated Series.
As for the rest of the cast, THR reports that Ariel Winters (Modern Family) will voice Carrie Kelly’s Robin, Wade Williams will voice Two-Face, Michael McKean will voice The Joker’s Psychiatrist, and David Shelby will take an unknown part. Perhaps he will be the film’s Joker? That would be the major role left out in the open.
The two-part animated film has been written by frequent DCAU pen Bob Goodman, and will be directed by storyboard artist Jay Oliva.
You know, there was a time when Frank Miller was just crazy enough, and his controlled insanity allowed him to write some seriously interesting shit- most notably The Dark Knight Returns. Lodged squarely in that dystopian 80s New York aesthetic, it provided a theoretical conclusion to the Bruce Wayne/Batman story by tying up loose ends with many of the major characters in that universe. It also is half of the one-two punch of deconstructionist comics — the other, of course, being Watchmen — that ripped the superhero genre apart, and from which it has arguably never recovered.
There have long been pipe dreams that Clint Eastwood would star in some kind of one-off live-action adaptation of the story, or that perhaps Nolan and Bale could wait a decade or so and come back to the franchise- but really the book has just been picked here and there for pieces that have ended up in the Nolanverse and in other comics. The only logical way to adapt this story is as an animation, so I hope they do a bang-up job bringing a new life to this singular, enduring piece of the Batman legacy.
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Robocop certainly emerged out of the same frame of mind that produced American Flagg! (for which Howard Chaykin got a call out in the end credits) and The Dark Knight Returns. Pretty great piece of casting for recreating the spirit of the original work.
“just crazy enough”
I was just reaching for a similar sentiment when I read that. I hope this storyboard artist/director is up to the challenge.
If DCAU follows this up with THE KILLING JOKE, I’m game.
I’d like to see George Clooney be given another crack at Batman in a live-action “Dark Knight Returns” in a few years. I don’t think he really carries the “Batman & Robin” stigma anymore, that all sins are forgiven as far as his involvement is concerned, and that he could be awesome in the Batman movie that’s actually worthy of him.
I’m game for Clooney getting a chance at a do-over. He wouldn’t have to do shit with his voice, unlike Bale!
It always drives me bonkers when he publicly flogs himself for Batman & Robin. The movie was obviously not his fault, it was Joel Schumacher’s, and yet he makes fun of himself at oscar acceptance speeches for being Batman. He could’ve been a solid Batman with the right director and story. In any case, I doubt he’d go near the franchise ever again.
I think he would. There’s no WAY he takes himself too seriously with all the apologies and stuff, and I think it’s because of Batman and Robin that we have the George Clooney we have today. His fault or not, he bombed out hard that first time out as the lead in a big blockbuster, but if it had been successful, we may have lost him forever to that kind of movie. Instead, we’ve had a decade and a half of interesting films, big and small, and I think he’d dig the challenge of playing an older Batman in a GOOD movie. Hell, let him direct the thing too. Batman and Robin is just an easy go-to punchline is all.
That was in response to the comment that followed my previous one. I don’t know why it didn’t post there…
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