Broken Frontier

In 2005, Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins breathed some necessary life into the ailing Batman film franchise, which was all-but-obliterated when Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin reduced the series to cringe-inducing self-parody less than a decade earlier. Anchored by gritty sensibilities and a top-notch cast, Batman Begins inspired movie audiences to take the character seriously once again and, ultimately, left them clamoring for a sequel.

Three years later, anticipation for The Dark Knight, Nolan’s follow-up pitting Batman (Christian Bale) against the maniacal Joker (the late Heath Ledger), has reached a near-fever pitch. To satiate fans until the sequel’s July 18 theatrical release, DC Comics, Warner Premiere, Warner Home Video (WHV) and Warner Bros. Animation present Batman: Gotham Knight, the latest PG-13 DC Universe animated film. Previous straight-to-DVD entries in the DC Universe line include Superman: Doomsday and Justice League: The New Frontier. Gotham Knight is executive produced by Batman: The Animated Series co-creator Bruce Timm.

Gotham Knight is comprised of six interlocking stories bridging the gap between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Each segment is brought to life by some of Japan’s top anime artists and directors, with writing by award-winning scribes Brian Azzarello, Greg Rucka, Alan Burnett, Jordan Goldberg, Batman Begins screenwriter David S. Goyer and Josh Olson, who earned an Academy Award nomination for penning the script for 2005’s A History of Violence, directed by David Cronenberg. Olson’s segment, entitled “Have I Got a Story for You,” follows a small gang of Gotham City youths who each have a different idea of what Batman is really like based on fleeting encounters with him. Fans of Batman: The Animated Series will note that the premise of this segment bears some similarities to a 1998 episode entitled “Legends of the Dark Knight,” which poked fun at the various iterations of the character throughout the ages. Olson was drawn to this storytelling device, which reinforces the character’s mythical value not only to comic book readers and audiences, but to the denizens of Gotham as well.

“I always loved that story—kids sitting around a campfire talking about Batman, and he shows up.” Olson explained in a press release. “It’s fun—really visually pleasing. It was the best version I could possibly hope to see. I’ve never seen a movie that so honored the script—it’s up there word-for-word, perfectly translated, and it’s really exciting to see that it worked. I’m a huge fan of this film.”

Other segments in Gotham Knight explore Batman’s shaky relationship with the Gotham City Police Department, Bruce Wayne’s physical and spiritual training and, of course, his struggles with a Rogue’s Gallery of villains such as Killer Croc and Deadshot. Kevin Conroy—who voiced the character throughout the 1990s animated series and later in Justice League and Justice League Unlimited—returns to lend his voice to the Caped Crusader in all six chapters of the film.

Batman: Gotham Knight premieres on June 28 at Wizard World Chicago, to be followed immediately by a panel featuring Bruce Timm, Josh Olson, Brian Azzarello, Greg Rucka and Alan Burnett. Free tickets to the 7 p.m. screening will be distributed at 10 a.m. at the Wizard World Chicago ticketing area. Gotham Knight hits DVD and Blu-ray disc on July 8, 2008, when it will also be available through On Demand digital cable and for download through broadband sites.