HBO Max’s orphaned Batman: Caped Crusader cartoon finds new home at Amazon
The series, from J.J. Abrams, Matt Reeves, and Batman: The Animated Series' Bruce Timm, got a two-season order at Amazon
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HBO Max’s rampage through its own catalogue of streaming content last year left a wide swathe of victims in its wake, in various states of miserable destruction. On the one hand, we have movies like Batgirl and Scoob: Holiday Haunt: Completed, or nearly completed, movies that got locked up in a vault somewhere, transformed through the magic of balance sheets from creative work into just so many tax write-offs. On the gentler side, we have projects that were merely orphaned, like Batman animated series Caped Crusader, a highly anticipated collaboration between The Batman director Matt Reeves, J.J. Abrams, and Batman: The Animated Series co-creator Bruce Timm. HBO Max made it clear, even in the midst of the bloodbath, that it wasn’t interested in killing the animated series: It just didn’t want it for itself.
Luckily, a kindly billionaire named Amazon has decided to take the series on as its ward, with THR reporting that the retail giant has scooped up the series for a two-season order. Amazon was one of several streamers who apparently bid on the series, which isn’t surprising, given the pedigree involved: Abrams is Abrams, Reeves is hot off reviving the Batman film franchise, and Timm is working with writers like celebrated comics author Ed Brubaker to bring this latest vision of Gotham City to life. Is it any wonder that Netflix, Apple, Hulu—pretty much everybody except the show’s own animation-hating parents—wanted a bite at this thing?
Deals are still being formalized, so there’s no word yet on when the series will pop up in its new palatial streaming home. No details on the actual content of the series, either, although the few visuals that have been handed out make it clear that Timm and company are interested in re-creating at least some of the look and feel of the beloved Batman: The Animated Series for a new streaming generation.
17 Comments
It’s so weird. I’ve never seen a company so intentionally sabotage themselves before. I don’t know a lot about business, but if I were a shareholder, I’d be thinking about a lawsuit against the company. Unfortunately I don’t know anything about a lot of really important things.
I don’t know anything about a lot of really important things.Username checks out.
You know, I’m getting a lot of shit about this username which I genuinely thought just sounded kinda funny. I thinking of going back to Are You My Dad?
What? I think it is funny, and I was following on the joke.
I know, and I wasn’t taking offense. It’s just that someone like a week ago thought I was some Sam Barsanti defender and I was like, no dude it’s just funny.
I don’t like what Zaslav is doing as a fan of a lot of the content on HBO but if I were an investor, it would make sense. Fact is that WB, like every other company with a streaming platform, has been hemmorhaging money with the hopes that eventually they could reduce spending and increase subscription prices to profit. IMO companies have just been flat out wrong about this being a good strategy. Zaslav isn’t wrong when he says companies have spent irresponsibly – they have. The linked article here says Abrams wanted $200m for a season of his new sci-fi show. Disney was spending $50m+ on seasons of kid sports shows like The Mighty Ducks.
And the other thing is HBO Max already has tons of DC content – they already have the DC fans subscribing. Another Batman animated show isn’t likely to do much to their subscriptions one way or the other. So spending a lot of money on it doesn’t make sense from a financial perspective.Don’t get me wrong as, again, I don’t like Zaslav at all. I’m not an investor and hate what he’s doing to HBO Max and other WB owned networks.
You do realize Zaslav’s way too involved in AEW Wrestling’s affairs as well. Since last year, he been chiding Tony Khan about AEW’s excessive rew language on TNT, weighed in on the dust-up between C.M. Punk and the Young Bucks, and recently refused to let AEW air a special on Jay Briscoe-not because of his past homophobic rants, but because Briscoe was signed to Ring Of Honor, and Zaslav won’t allow ROH programming air on the Warners properties, despite Khan owning ROH.
It’s like WBD owns a stake in AEW, and Zaslav’s protecting his company’s interest in the thing. I believe Zaslav had a lot to do with Cody Rhodes leaving the company, and that contributed to Rhodes’ fallout with Khan. Watch out-Zaslav may become the next Vince McMahon – or Ted Turner.
I don’t watch or care about wrestling at all so no, not aware and nothing you said means much to me.
This looks like a job for… Die Fledermaus.
Batmanuel, a legally distinct (but just as funny) character!
I was one of probably dozens that smirked a smirk when he showed up in Dark Knight. I really love that show
Dangit I wish Disney Plus had bought it
Your turn, Disney. Bring back Gargoyles.but not the Nelvana-produced “The Goliath Chronicles” follow-up.
I’m still annoyed they didn’t include a Gargoyles world in Kingdom Hearts.
It sounds interesting due to Matt Reeves and Bruce Timm. But it sucks that the talentless hack of JJ Abrams is getting profit from it, they seriously should stop hiring JJ Abrams whom is the weakest part of any project he is part of. JJ Abrams ruined 2 Star Wars sequel trilogy movies (the only 2 bad Star Wars movies I will say) and wasted 3 Star Trek movies on an alternative timeline that doesn’t even matter because it barely affects the original timeline. Studios need to realize nobody likes JJ Abrams, he is the worst filmmaker in whole Hollywood, all his remakes were done years before and way better.
Batman listens to Beastie Boys?