WONDER WOMAN AND BATMAN NEXT UP FOR ANIMATED DVD TREATMENT?

**MattBrady** · 08-01-2007, 06:00 PM

With Superman Doomsday due out on DVD in September, and Justice League: The New Frontier coming early next year (and video from it already making the rounds), the Teen Titans direct to DVD animated movie is the only movie of the original three announced to get a release date.

And then, what’s next?

Wonder Woman and Batman, apparently.

What look to be two pages from an internal DC/Warner Bros. Animation marketing document have made their way online, revealing that the next two direct to DVD animated films will star Wonder Woman and Batman. From the respective descriptions, the Wonder Woman animated film maps out closely to an animated re-telling of George Perez’s re-creation of the Amazon’s origin from the restart of the series in 1987; while the Batman film looks to be in “anime style” and set in the same universe as the recent Batman Begins.

The descriptions of the two projects read:

WONDER WOMAN

On the mystical island of Themyscria, a proud and fierce warrior race of Amazons have raised a daughter of untold beauty, grace and strength – Princess Diana. When and army fighter pilot, Steve Trevor crash-lands on the island, the rebellious and headstrong Diana defies Amazonian law by accompanying Trevor back to civilization. Meanwhile, Ares (the god of War) has escaped his imprisonment at the hands of the Amazonians and has decided to exact his revenge using the mystical “Hand of Rage,” an ancient artifact with the power to raise armies from the dead and infuse them with a thirst for blood. Ares intends to start a world war that will not only last for centuries – but will wipe out every lving being on the planet, starting with the Amazons! It is up to Princess Diana to save her people and the world – by using her gifts and becoming the ultimate Wonder Woman!

Target: Males 18+, women 18+, and girls 9-17.

Proposed rating: PG-13

DVD street date: Q4 2008/Q1 2009

BATMAN ANIME

Targeted Audience:
Dual: Core fans and tween boys
Rating: PG-13 (anticipated)

Release:
2-4 weeks in advance of The Dark Knight film release.

Overview:

Set in the period between BATMAN BEGINS and THE DARK KNIGHT, this brand new adventure follows BATMAN as he unravels a mystery over six original stories done in the style of Japanese Anime. Each of the six original stories has been written by a highly respected screenwriter or comic book creator. The talent includes Academy Award nominee Josh Olsen (The History of Violence), screenwriter of the Blade films and Batman Begins David Goyer, and famed comic book writer Brian Azzarello, among others.

The Batman Anime DVD is viewed as a perfect companion piece to BATMAN BEGINS and THE DARK KNIGHT. The original stories introduce a number of classic characters from the DC Comics BATMAN universe as well as following up on characters and storylines that were introduced in BATMAN BEGINS.

When asked about the two projects by Newsarama, Warner Bros. Animation declined to comment.

Grievous · 08-01-2007, 06:02 PM

sounds good.

Thank god dc are getting their stuff out there

know_access · 08-01-2007, 06:12 PM

Damn, I hate anime style animation.

sexyjesus · 08-01-2007, 06:13 PM

Man, it would be awesome if DC went with Bolland designs on Wonder Woman.

And I actually like those sketches for the Batman anime. The remind me of Aeon Flux.

Marvel can have all the movies it wants. I'm just thrilled to see my favorite characters in my favorite art form, animation. I can't wait, and I'm glad they're going to be PG-13. Nice and respectable to the material, but not over the top.

Sano · 08-01-2007, 06:18 PM

Please oh PLEASE animate Kia Asamiya's Child of Dreams and get the artist involved! That would make a PERFECT Batman anime! Hey maybe after this one lol!

brucewayne1 · 08-01-2007, 06:19 PM

What the hell makes Wonder Woman so great?

Oh wait we have already been through this.

and I agree - I don't care for Batman Anime a' tall.

Binker · 08-01-2007, 06:20 PM

I TOLD YOU GUYS I WAS RIGHT!!!!! Alot fop you were saying that you didn't believe my thread.

adamcasey · 08-01-2007, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by know_access

Damn, I hate anime style animation.

Yes! It only took twelve minutes from the time the article was posted to get complaints!

Really though, anime style animation is just another means to an end. Every cartoon can't be Bruce Timm styled, just like every comic can't be photorealistic.

If it gets more people interested in Batman and/or comics, it's a good thing. Similarly, you bet get interested, or at least used to, anime and "manga" style art because it's increasingly looking to be the way of the future.

Kid Impulse · 08-01-2007, 06:25 PM

How does it take place inbetween BB and TDK if at the end of Begins Gordon hands Bats the Joker's card? I'd think The Dark Knight would be a direct continuation

**MattBrady** · 08-01-2007, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by know_access

Damn, I hate anime style animation.

which one is that? Offhand, I can think of about 14 different "styles" of anime, and I think every Batman (and animation) fan (except you) would plotz to see, say, a Batman story in in the style of Otmo's Akira, or even a Miyazaki, Gonzo, or Koike, not to mention any variety of other amazing animators.

MattB

sexyjesus · 08-01-2007, 06:27 PM

Are people really annoyed by a Batman movie anime? Just look at the Animatrix. It had great animation and worked well with the Matrix universe. There are a lot of talented anime animators, and many of them have been *proven* to handle mature subject matter more than the US industry.

Cowboy Bebob, Big O, Samurai Champloo, Perfect, etc. The list goes on. I just want good animation. As long as it looks good, I don't care where it comes from.

sexyjesus · 08-01-2007, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sentry/Void

How does it take place inbetween BB and TDK if at the end of Begins Gordon hands Bats the Joker's card? I'd think The Dark Knight would be a direct continuation

He won't be able to find the Joker immediately. Other crimes happen all the time that need to be handled now.

Violator · 08-01-2007, 06:29 PM

I was hoping for an anime style along the lines of Ghost in the Shell or Ninja Scroll (especially after seeing the Highlander anime movie), but those sketches look pretty good.

JRich22 · 08-01-2007, 06:34 PM

Sounds good to me, wish Marvel would do some animation of some of their classic stories

ardnealy · 08-01-2007, 06:38 PM

I am looking forward to Teen Titans: The Judas Contract the most out of all of these. I will buy the others though. I hope Christian Bale and Michael Caine voice their characters from the movies.

Wonder Boy · 08-01-2007, 06:38 PM

Excited about the Wonder Woman movie.

Dunno how I feel about "Batmanime".

GohanWinner · 08-01-2007, 06:39 PM

I like the Batman concept. As opposed to an hour and a half long story, we get a bunch of self contained street level/mystery tales. Sounds really cool.

Xysmurf · 08-01-2007, 06:41 PM

So damn tired of Steve Trevor........

Uchiha_Prodigy · 08-01-2007, 06:46 PM

I hate the term "anime style". There's no such thing. Each production company in Japan has their own way of doing things. Not one show has the same style.

artiepants · 08-01-2007, 06:50 PM

Batmanime sounds like it should be made of 100% win!

astronato · 08-01-2007, 06:50 PM

Interesting that in the one image Batman has an oval and in the other he doesn't.

Wonder Woman sounds good. I wish they would use Steve Trevor as the romantic interest in the comics instead of Nemesis.

DanteHicks1972 · 08-01-2007, 06:52 PM

The Wonder Woman DVD sounds good I'll get that for sure but the Batman I think I'll skip, the Japan-imation sucks and I'm sick of the Batman toon on Saturday mornings....I would love to have seen Lobo or a Green Lantern Corps.....Oh well gotta promote Ratman....

sexyjesus · 08-01-2007, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by astronato

Interesting that in the one image Batman has an oval and in the other he doesn't.

Wonder Woman sounds good. I wish they would use Steve Trevor as the romantic interest in the comics instead of Nemesis.

Me too, but I view Diana to be more pansexual than your average superhero.

Supreme Convoy · 08-01-2007, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sexyjesus

Are people really annoyed by a Batman movie anime? Just look at the Animatrix. It had great animation and worked well with the Matrix universe. There are a lot of talented anime animators, and many of them have been *proven* to handle mature subject matter more than the US industry.

Cowboy Bebob, Big O, Samurai Champloo, Perfect, etc. The list goes on. I just want good animation. As long as it looks good, I don't care where it comes from.

People hate the upcoming Batman anime?

I agree with you, Animatrix was a top notch DVD. If this upcoming collection is anything like that, it'll be awesome.

Nobody · 08-01-2007, 06:55 PM

Sounds interesting, I'm inherently more interested in the Batman one, 'cause, well, it's Batman. It seems like the Wonder Woman one is like what Marvel's been doing with it's animated projects, which sadly, hasn't turned out well so far, which is just retelling her origin. I like the idea that the first three DC DVD projects are aiming for, and adapting classic tales.

But then again, are there really any stand-out tales of WW to adapt?