The Warner Bros. animated movie, Batman: The Long Halloween, reveals Jensen Ackles to be playing the role of Batman. The new film will continue with its own animated universe which was established in 2007 with Superman: Doomsday. It also includes movies such as Batman: Under the Red Hood, The Dark Knight Returns, and Batman: The Killing Joke. The new film is said to be released in two parts, with the first one being scheduled for this summer.
Batman: The Long Halloween, reveals that the character of Bruce Wayne will be played by no other than the talented and famous actor, Jensen Ackles.
The inspiration behind Batman: The Long Halloween
The movie will take its inspiration from the original source which is the comics of DC. In this case, the inspiration is the famous Long Halloween series that ran from 1996-97. The comic is widely known to have one of the most intriguing and engaging storylines of Batman. Like others before it such as The Killing Joke, The Dark Knight Returns, and Batman: Year One.
The Long Halloween was one of the inspirations behind Christopher Nolan’s take on the character as well. We know this because the similarities between the films and the comics were very notable. Such as the case of Harvey Dent, a good lawyer turned villain, the case of escalating mob activities, and a Gotham serial killer. The same comic is also said to be giving inspiration to Matt Reeves’s upcoming movie, The Batman.
The phenomenal casting
The cast of the movie has been revealed with the help of The Hollywood Reporter. As we already know, Jensen Ackles is taking the mantle of the bat. This is his return to DC animated films after voicing Jason Todd in the highly praised Batman: Under the Red Hood. The late Naya Rivera, who died in July of 2020, will also feature as Selina Kyle/Catwoman.
The rest of the cast includes Josh Duhamel as Harvey Dent, Billy Burke as James Gordon, Titus Welliver as Carmine Falcone, David Dastmalchian as Calendar Man, Troy Baker as Joker, Amy Landecker as Barbara Gordon, Julie Nathanson as Gilda Dent, Jack Quaid as Alberto, Fred Tatasciore as Solomon Grundy, and Alastair Duncan as Alfred.
Expectations from Batman: The Long Halloween
The DC animated universe has created a reputation of its own. Some would say that they are fairly better than the live-action universe of DC. That said, the studio has decided to release a direct-to-video model which has somewhat limited their mass appeal. The animated universe has gained massive appeal with fans as well as critics alike. Batman: The Long Halloween would possibly have a dark and adult-oriented approach to its audience as the rest of the movies have followed in the same footsteps and have worked out well so far.
This will be the first time for Ackles to be filling the shoes of the Dark Knight. However, his history of voicing the Red Hood shows that he is more than qualified for the role. No doubt that the actor will be working along with DC veterans who have voiced characters for years now. Such as Troy Baker, who’s voiced the Joker in numerous video games and films, and Fred Tatasciore, who’s voiced many Batman villains.
The cast seems to be superb and we can’t wait to witness their work on the screen this summer.
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