Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 Trailer

Posted by on July 31st, 2012   Filed under: Animation, Books/Comics, DVD and Blu-ray, Trailers

If you just can’t get enough of The Dark Knight, Warner Brothers has got you covered with their latest upcoming direct-to-DVD animated feature based on Frank Miller’s seminal graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns. Apparently they have decided to divide the story into two parts, both directed by Jay Oliva (Green Lantern: Emerald Knights, Doctor Strange), and part 1 will be hitting DVD and Blu-ray in September. Peter Weller (Robocop) provides the voice for Batman while other stars include David Selby as Comissioner Gordon, Ariel Winter as Robin, Wade Williams as Two-Face, and Michael McKean as Dr. Bartholomew Wolper.

Although I like this recent trend of adapting big graphic novels (they did Batman: Year One and All-Star Superman last year), somehow these films still seem to be a little bit too sanitized and the artist’s style is mostly absent. The trailer for the film has arrived online over at MTV, and unlike most MTV embeds, I was actually able to watch this outside of the U.S. Hopefully it works for you guys as well. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 hits stores on September 25th; check out the trailer after the jump and see what you think.

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  • La Menthe

    Looks ridiculously bad. Why you even bothered to make an article for this is beyond me.

  • rjdelight

    Is this the animated Batman that you mentioned was getting re-cut because of the Colorado incident?

  • Kasper

    Doesn’t look all that good, but the style seems to be a choice to fit with the amazing 90’s animated series (something I know also Batman: Year One follows), which is a good thing. I’d rather want some consistency than different weird artistic choices for each dvd flick.

  • Henrik

    “Seminal graphic novel”? Have you been listening to Kevin Smith lately? :D

    Movie doesn’t look too good, graphic novel wasn’t too good to begin with, but I have been loving these DVD features from DC. Under the Red Hood was great I thought, and recently Superman Vs. The Elite, and Justice League: Doom were both awesome! Great production value, very decent writing, fun action and almost always outstanding voice acting.

  • Mrespony

    Ugh, DC shouldn’t be trying to keep continuity with their other D2V offerings with this one, and it seems like they are. This trailer doesn’t even graze the atmosphere Frank Miller created with these books. I take umbrage with “wasn’t too good to begin with”. This book was a mind blower when it came out, if you don’t have the context of reading this in the 1980’s I can see how it might not have made an impact with you, but hey you were probably ripe pickins’ for the Ninja Turtles. And yes, Kevin Smith loving something can sometimes be enough to make you hate it.

  • Whether or not you like “Dark Knight Returns” (it’s pretty good, but it’s not one I care to revisit much), it was CRAZY influential, so even if you didn’t dig it, I’m sure that there’s a lot of stuff that you do like that it’s at least somewhat responsible for.

  • mrespony

    @PlanB Good point. I know many have credited the book with returning Batman to the darker character Bob Kane created and helping re-popularize the comic. I think the same can be said of The Watchmen, reading it today it might seem a quaint and silly when compared to all the newer material influenced by it. I don’t like Bob Dylan, but I love Jimi Hendrix and Hendrix loved Dylan.

  • Jr

    Yea, it most definitely is an important work and much of today’s comics owe a lot to it whether you like it or not.
    The cartoon doesn’t look very good though, especially the voice acting. I saw Year One, which wasn’t bad but you just miss so much compared to reading the actual comic and this looks to be similar.

  • Henrik

    I don’t hate the comic (or Kevin Smith, I find his new career very endearing and laugh alot at his stuff now), but Frank Miller just doesn’t have much to offer in terms of trying to be operatic, or approach something that is supposed to have something to offer concerning the human condition. His Batman is ridiculously infantile and pubescent, yet still wants to be taken seriously as an operatic character. Doesn’t work for me at all. As for its influence, I think it is pretty confined to Batman, and most Batman comics are, in my humble opinion, pretty boring.

    PS. It’s called “Watchmen”. And anybody reading that today and finding it quant and silly must be some sort of moron.

  • Jerry

    You are all crazy at the time DKR came out batman comics sucked they had terrible villains and lane stories these books changed the game. As a batman fan alone I’ve dreamed of the day when this specific set of books might just be referenced in a batman movie let alone be
    Adapted into not one but two full features it’s supposed to look rugged cuz that’s exactly how a 55 year old batman who’s been away 10 years is rugged I can’t wait