Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns Animated

[Pfeiffer-Pfan]

How fitting would this be as Kevin Conroy's swan song after voicing Batman for nearly twenty years and in three decades? However, I'd absolutely not argue with him voicing the character as long as he's able and wants to, of course!

I love Kevin but I don't think this is the project for him...

Plus... as long and he can breathe and talk, I'd prefer no swan song for Mr. Conroy.

I still don't understand why the straight-to-video DC Animated films have running time constraints at all. Shouldn't the straight-to-video format allow the filmmakers to make their movies as long as they want? Seriously, does anyone know the official reason behind this?

It's simple... the budget.

WB aren't willing to pay for anything longer than 70-80 minutes, with the odd exception.

They have to monitor very closely the budget and the sales together... and based on the latter I don't think there likely to budge.

 

[Thread Manager.]

Download> Entries 1-24
>
>
>
Successful

 

[KalMart]

Based on the 'Year One' animation version, I'm not very confident about this being good. I think it's better that someone reinterpret it and take more liberties for an actual animated film that try to be so literal in going from page to screen.

 

[KalMart]

 

[Pfeiffer-Pfan]

A fan complimented Conroy on the subtleties of his jaded, older Bruce Wayne from "Batman Beyond" and asked if Conroy had been approached for the role in a "Dark Knight Returns" animated movie.


Conroy and Strong, both acted surprised about news of an animated take on Frank Miller's classic, looking down the panel at Bruce Timm for clues.


"No one's told me anything," Conroy added.


"Well, that makes me incredibly angry," said the fan.


"Well, it should," said Conroy playfully, with the crowd obviously agreement.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=37968

Well scratch one of the list...

 

[Hamill-Joker]

I think it's better that someone reinterpret it and take more liberties for an actual animated film that try to be so literal in going from page to screen.

This is my thought as well.

 

[iwtv]

I love Kevin but I don't think this is the project for him...

Plus... as long and he can breathe and talk, I'd prefer no swan song for Mr. Conroy.



It's simple... the budget.

WB aren't willing to pay for anything longer than 70-80 minutes, with the odd exception.

They have to monitor very closely the budget and the sales together... and based on the latter I don't think there likely to budge.

And yet despite time constraints, we can have things like the director's cut of BB: The Return of the Joker.

Back to the topic, this is the first time I've heard about this. So psyched now! I'm not a huge Frank Miller fan (can't stand the skin for Batman Arkham City lol), but The Dark Knight was a really good storyline, and I think this will turn out good.

 

[theMan-Bat]

Based on the 'Year One' animation version, I'm not very confident about this being good. I think it's better that someone reinterpret it and take more liberties for an actual animated film that try to be so literal in going from page to screen.

As Bruce Timm said, "Put in more gadgets and the flasher cars, and then suddenly it's not Batman: Year One anymore."
http://www.mtv.com/videos/interview/670500/sdcc-2011-bruce-timm-on-batman-year-one.jhtml#id=1667825
If Bruce Timm loosely reinterpreted Batman: Year One and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and took a lot of liberties with them then they would not be the Batman: Year One and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns stories anymore. The Batman: Year One animated film is impressively faithful to the book. I loved seeing the book come alive. There already had been a film that's loosely based on Batman: Year One, reinterpreted it and took a lot of liberties with it, it's called Batman Begins. There's also a film coming out that's loosely based on Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, reinterpreted it and took a lot of liberties with it, it's called The Dark Knight Rises. If you are not interested in seeing Frank Miller's Batman: Year One and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns stories come alive on film and only want to see them loosely reinterpreted, then stick to Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins and The Dark Knight Rises. The Batman: Year One and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns films are for those of us that want to see Frank Miller's Batman: Year One and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns come alive on film.

A fan complimented Conroy on the subtleties of his jaded, older Bruce Wayne from "Batman Beyond" and asked if Conroy had been approached for the role in a "Dark Knight Returns" animated movie.


Conroy and Strong, both acted surprised about news of an animated take on Frank Miller's classic, looking down the panel at Bruce Timm for clues.


"No one's told me anything," Conroy added.


"Well, that makes me incredibly angry," said the fan.


"Well, it should," said Conroy playfully, with the crowd obviously agreement.
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=37968

Well scratch one of the list...

I'm not surprised. Bruce Timm didn't have Kevin Conroy voice the Dark Knight Returns Batman in the "Legends of the Dark Knight" episode of Batman: The Animated Series, so I didn't expect Conroy to voice him in the movie. When they are distinctively different versions that do not fit in with the Timmverse continuity of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, Batman Beyond, etc., Bruce Timm will cast different people to voice these other Parallel Earths versions. As Bruce Timm said about Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, "the decision was made that we should really do everything in our power to separate it from the TV continuity as possible. I love Kevin Conroy. I love George Newbern. They're terrific actors and it would have been easier, frankly, to cast them in this movie. But again, for the sake of branding, we decided we needed to go with other actors to play those parts to further separate this from the TV continuity."
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=24941

 

[Daniel Thompson]

In a way The Dark Knight Rises is like Dark Knight Returns. Bane is like the monster from TDKR who sparks up a revolution and tries to take over Gotham City. Bruce Wayne comes back as Batman to try and stop him and a war insues on the streets of Gotham City.

 

[DoomsdayApex]

In a way The Dark Knight Rises is like Dark Knight Returns. Bane is like the monster from TDKR who sparks up a revolution and tries to take over Gotham City. Bruce Wayne comes back as Batman to try and stop him and a war insues on the streets of Gotham City.

Yep, Nolan clearly took some inspirations from TDKReturns novel and applied them to TDKRises.

Batman comes out of retirement for one final mission/battle and 'dies' in the process thus expanding his legend further.

 

[BH/HHH]

Yep, Nolan clearly took some inspirations from TDKReturns novel and applied them to TDKRises.

Batman comes out of retirement for one final mission/battle and 'dies' in the process thus expanding his legend further.

and you know this how?

 

[Daniel Thompson]

^ Yeah we dono if Batman will die in the film yet.

 

[DoomsdayApex]

Tagline: "The Legend Ends."

That alone is... ummm... a big clue fellas.

Beyond that, I have nothing else to add. I'm not here to 'spoil' anything.

 

[DW4]

Tagline: "The Legend Ends."

That alone is... ummm... a big clue fellas.

Beyond that, I have nothing else to add. I'm not here to 'spoil' anything.

lol...like that means Batman will die at the end of the movie.

I love when people assume things.

 

[BH/HHH]

lol...like that means Batman will die at the end of the movie.

I love when people assume things.

Makes me laugh seriously when people do that.

 

[GREEN =w= DAY]

has any recent news come out regarding the this new animated film, or will WB most likely wait until ComicCon to announce anything?

 

[Pfeiffer-Pfan]

has any recent news come out regarding the this new animated film, or will WB most likely wait until ComicCon to announce anything?

You'll see a sneek peek of it with Superman vs. The Elite (June 12th)... with the trailer following shortly after it.

 

[theMan-Bat]

As with Batman: Year One last year, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns: Part One is releasing in the fall, likely in October, and the Batman: Year One voice cast was announced on April 20th last year along with two screenshots released, so I expect the Batman: The Dark Knight Returns voice cast to be announced soon, towards the end of April or early May, along with two screenshots released from the first movie.

Bruce Timm posted at toonzone.com on April 5th, "well, anytime we cast someone other than Kevin as Batman, there will always be a certain number of dissatisfied customers -- it's a given -- but this time, I gotta say, I think we've hit it out of the park, with bases loaded," Bruce Timm teased.
http://www.toonzone.net/forums/show...t-News-amp-Discussion-Thread-(Spoilers)/page5

 

[Pfeiffer-Pfan]

Not suprising... but Part 1 is done, and will more than likely premiere at Comic-con.

After completion of "Batman: The Brave and the Bold", I worked on the animated adaption of Frank Miller's classic, "The Dark Knight Returns". The DVD movie will be released in two parts. This is a first for the Warner Bros DTVs. My part of the production was to color script the entire movie. This (I believe) is also a first for the Warner Bros DTVs. Part one is totally done and it looks amazing. I think fans of the book will be very pleased. There is talk with some of us on the crew doing a blog, kind of like I did with the B:TB&tB blog, but it would involve more than just myself, but also story board artists, BG layout, prop & character designers. If it happens, it would appear after DKR pt1 is released. Hopefully it'll happen. I will put a link here if and when it does. And no, I case you were wondering, the character on this door sign is not from the new DKR DTV, but from an old "New Adventures of Batman" episode

http://braveandboldbackgroundpaint.blogspot.co.uk/

 

[RealIrOnMaN]

Trailer #1 - http://vimeo.com/41517364

 

[jonathancrane]

My brain just exploded.


Awesome!!!

 

[Roose Bolton]

Who was that voicing Batman? Seemed vaguely familiar...

 

[Pfeiffer-Pfan]

I think that might just be Michael Ironside after all...

or it also kind of sounds like Miguel Ferrer. Regardless I've heard him in DC cartoons before.

 

[craigdbfan]

That was incredible!!!

The voice actor does seem incredibly familiar. Sounds like Ironside to me.

 

[EliteF50]

Everything looks great, but the voices sound bad, imo.

I can guarantee you that's not Ironside. Michael has a tendency to whisper the ends of his lines, this guy's voice sounds like it's going to crack at the end of each line. My biggest problem, voice wise, was the mutant leader. That's some amateur fandub level stuff.

The animation looks decent, however.