Cartoon Network Previews Their New 'Wonder Woman' DC Nation Short

It won't be solely Beware the Batman that debuts on Cartoon Network tomorrow morning at 10AM. Also as part of their DC Nation block will be a new animated Wonder Woman short written and directed by Robert Valley. Like previous shorts, it promises to deliver an edgy new look to another well know DC icon.

You can check out stills and a preview clip below.

SOURCE: Cartoon Network

Follow @NerdyRScoundrel

Cartoon Network Releases Images and Trailer for 'Beware The Batman' & Sets Debut Date

Cartoon Network announced the premiere date for Beware the Batman, in addition to releasing the first trailer and a set of stills. Set to debut on Saturday, July 13th at 10AM, the CGI show is the latest series from Warner Bros. Animation to join Cartoon Network's DC Nation block of programming.

Official Press Release:

"The Caped Crusader will return to television screens this summer when Beware the Batman premieres on Cartoon NetworkSaturday, July 13 at 10 a.m. (ET/PT) as part of DC Nation. Featuring cutting-edge CGI visuals to match the intricate twists and turns of the narrative, Batman steps out of the shadows and into the spotlight for an entirely new generation of fans.

A cool, new take on the classic Dark Knight franchise, Beware the Batman incorporates Batman’s core characters with a rogues gallery of new villains not previously seen in animated form. Along with backup from ex-secret agent Alfred and lethal swordswoman Katana, the Dark Knight faces the twisted machinations of Gotham City’s criminal underworld led by the likes of Anarky, Professor Pyg, Mister Toad and Magpie. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation (WBA), this action-packed detective thriller deftly redefines what we have come to know as a “Batman show.” WBA’s Sam Register serves as executive producer, with Glen Murakami (Batman Beyond) and Mitch Watson (Scooby-Doo! Mystery Inc.) producing. 

Starring Anthony Ruivivar (Banshee) as Batman/Bruce Wayne, Beware The Batman boasts a stellar voice cast with JB Blanc (The Count of Monte Cristo) as Alfred and Sumalee Montano (ER) as Katana. Lending voices to the villains are Wallace Langham (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation) as Anarky, Grey DeLisle (Green Lantern: The Animated Series) as Magpie, Udo Kier (Scooby-Doo! Mystery Inc.) as Mr. Toad, Lance Reddick (Fringe) as Ra’s al Ghul and Brian George (The Big Bang Theory) as Professor Pyg. 

Beware the Batman is the latest series based on characters from DC Comics to be added to DC Nation, Cartoon Network’s programming block on Saturday mornings. It will be followed by Teen Titans Go! at 10:30 a.m. and joined by all-new animated shorts."

Follow @NerdyRScoundrel

Preview Clip & Images From The Series Finale of 'Green Lantern: The Animated Series'

Cartoon Network has released new images and a preview clip from Dark Matter, Saturday's morning's swan song episode of Green Lantern: The Animated Series. Along with Young Justice, the show will unfortunately not be returning for further adventures and will be replaced in the DC Nation line-up by the younger skewing Teen Titans Go! and Beware The Batman.

It's unfortunate that Green Lantern, in either animated form or live action, has failed to click with the masses. This second and ultimately final season not only brought us a solid dark arc involving the Anti-Monitor and the Manhunters, but saw Guy Gardner and Sinestro thrown into the mix as well. The show's longterm future seemed highly in doubt when it was abruptly pulled from Cartoon Network's schedule last fall, with no return date immediately announced.

The darker story lines explored by the show didn't exactly make it ideal fare for the Saturday morning time slot it was given, as the older demo it would ideally target isn't tuning in live at that time. In addition to Young Justice and Green Lantern: The Animated Series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars has also finished it run on the network, with Lucasfilm's recent announcement that it will be 'winding down' production on that series.

Dark Matter synopsis, per Cartoon Network:

In the season finale episode, the Aya Monitor returns to the dawn of time to stop all emotion and all life from ever existing. Now, Hal must find a way to stop her - while Razer realizes the only way to save the universe may mean killing the woman he loves.

Follow @NerdyRScoundrel

First Look At Cartoon Network's New 'Teen Titans Go!' Line-Up

Cartoon Network released the first look at the re-imagined Teen Titans for the new animated series, Teen Titans Go! set to debut on April 23rd in a 7:30 PM time slot.

DC Nation fans weren't exactly over the roof when word came down that the older skewing Green Lantern: The Animated Series and Young Justice would not be returning beyond their current seasons, and would see a new comedic take on Teen Titans join the latest Batman animated series to take their place among Cartoon Network's schedule. 

Green Lantern: TAS and Young Justice unfortunately end their run this weekend on March 16th.

Check out the newest take on Robin, Cyborg, Raven, Beast Boy and Starfire, in addition to the official press release from Cartoon Network below.

Per Cartoon Network:

"The Teen Titans are returning to Cartoon Network with all-new comedic adventures, and this time they’re giving viewers a look at what life is really like as a teen superhero… once the cape comes off. 

The half-hour animated series, Teen Titans Go! premieres on Tuesday, April 23, at 7:30pm (ET/PT) and will be rebroadcast during the DC Nation block on Saturday mornings at 10:30am (ET/PT) beginning April 27. 

The character-driven comedy series focuses on the funny that happens in between saving the world and living together as teenagers without adult supervision. The comedic mayhem of the animated series is punctuated by pranks and the occasional need to fight crime, but it will also deal with the everyday issues of adolescence. With epic staring contests to decide who does the laundry, a series of quests and battles to construct the perfect sandwich or fighting crime in Jump City, one thing is for sure, these Titans will always be ready for an adventure inside the house and out.

The principal voice cast from the original Teen Titans series, based on DC Comics characters, will reprise their roles in Teen Titans Go!, with Scott Menville as the voice of Robin, the slightly power-mad perfectionist and leader of the Teen Titans. Hynden Walch voices Starfire, an alien struggling to fit in; Tara Strong voices Raven, the sardonic, deadpan demon girl; Greg Cipes returns as the slightly dim but always loveable loafer, Beast Boy; and Khary Payton provides the voice of Cyborg, a laidback kid who is half teen, half robot. 

The fan-favorite theme song from the original Teen Titans will also be making its return to television, with an updated remix from Mix Master Mike of the Beastie Boys."

Follow @NerdyRScoundrel

INTERVIEW: Bruce Timm and Andrea Romano Talk 'Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2'

DC and Warner Bros. Animation's highly anticipated conclusion to the two-part adaptation of Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns will be available on Blu-ray and DVD at the end of the month.

I caught up with veteran animation producer Bruce Timm and Voice Casting Director Andrea Romano at New York Comic Con last fall where they talked about Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and taking from page to screen the iconic 1986 graphic novel that forever re-defined Batman.

Timm, the Executive Producer on the project whose history with Gotham's Dark Knight goes back to 1992 with Batman: The Animated Series, revealed how long he had been looking forward to bringing this particular story to life.

"Right out of the gate when we first started doing these direct-to-video movies," he told me shortly before taking the stage at a NYCC screening and Q&A panel.

"We did the first one, Superman: Doomsday [in 1997] and we were throwing out ideas about which comics we could adapt. The Dark Knight Returns was at the top my list back then. I don't remember exactly why we didn't do it back then. I know there were some hesitation on somebody's part and then," he said.

"About three or four years ago when Christopher Nolan was between his second and third Batman movies, I brought the idea up again. At that point DC was saying 'Well we don't know because we think Christopher Nolan might be using some of The Dark Knight Returns material in The Dark Knight Rises, so we need to kind of stay away from that.' Then some time passed and they got a little more concrete idea about what he was planning for The Dark Knight Rises. They said 'It's different enough, so go ahead and do it.' At that point we jumped on it."

Of course one of the aspects in translating a work from one medium to another is deciding which aspects are included, and which ones need to be left behind. Timm was happy to admit that particular task was for the most part out of his hands.

 

"Fortunately I left that pretty much up to the writer Bob Goodman, who so many people have worked with over so many years. He took his first pass of breaking down the comic into an outline of two movies. So we went through his outline and went 'That, that, that. Oh yeah he's got it all there.'

"He basically kind of hit the high points. There were maybe little things here and there that we went back and said 'You have to put this one bit from the comic in.' Maybe a line of dialogue here and there, but for the most part I think his first pass was pretty dead on and we kind of just went from there," he recalled.

Peter Weller, best know for his portrayal of RoboCop, is the latest actor to lend his voice to Batman. Casting Director Andrea Romano told me what he brought to this aged, long retired version of the Caped Crusader.

"He has the perfect voice for it," she said. "He's a wonderful actor and it was kind of a no-brainer. Is he available? Does he want to do it? I didn't even know what a comic book fan he is. So it worked out beautifully. We really lucked into getting him. As I listened to his performance, he sounds as the character looks. It has all those little layers of history of a man who has lived a long life and has seen good and bad. It all comes through just in his voice. Then you add his performance on top of that and you get really something special."

Timm had this to add regarding Weller's casting. "The very first time I saw Peter Weller as RoboCop in the theater, there was one shot at him when he's got the mask on and does this weird turn thing and I said 'Wow, he looks like Batman.' So even back in the day I was equating Peter Weller with Batman, so it's kinda neat to bring it all to fruition here."

Lost and Person of Interest star Michael Emerson brings life to the Joker, who appears in Part 2.

"He's terrific. Very different from Mark Hamill or any other Joker you've heard before," Timm assures us.

Romano admitted she had been determined to find something special for Emerson for years. "I met Michael Emerson at Comic Con in San Diego many years ago after Lost had been out. I thought I must find something for this man. He was so pleasant to meet and chat with, so open and available as far as being a person. I will find something."

"It's not the typical voice for the Joker. You wouldn't really think of him as far as the timber of his voice. He's such a great actor, he did such a beautiful job. After I worked with him I saw him a couple of months later and I said 'Well how was the experience for you?' And he said it was the hardest work he'd ever done. Which I found fascinating because it was something he just wasn't familiar with, but he does a beautiful job. You have to wait until Part 2 to see that but it's a remarkable performance I think."

I had to ask both of them when it comes to the decision of casting actors other than Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill as Batman and the Joker. For a growing number of fans, they have provided the definitive voices for the characters over the past two decades.

"My first questions whenever I'm getting a project like this is: Can I use Kevin Conroy? Can I use Mark Hamill?' Romano told me. 

"And the powers that be, the people who sign my checks, tell me whether I can or not. I always petition for them. I do believe Kevin Conroy would have given a beautiful performance in this role, as would Mark Hamill. But they just wanted something different. It's a different look, it's a different project. We wanted new voices," she said.

"Any time we cast anybody other than Kevin or Mark we get crap for it," Timm laughed. "So I'm just used to it."

Romano also revealed which actor has so far unfortunately eluded her casting call. "I've been trying for years to hire Jon Hamm. It's not because I don't think he doesn't want to do it. I think it's just that his availability is just so dreadful. He's such a lovely actor. He can do comedy, he can do drama and everything in between. So that hasn't worked out yet, but I'm not done with my career so I'm still trying to get him," she promised.

"Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 picks up where the first left off with Batman having returned to Gotham with an all new Robin, however not everyone is welcoming him back to the streets. Gotham City's police are on a manhunt for the Batman as is the newly released Joker. As Batman attempts to stop the Joker one last time, the United States government teams up with Superman to bring the Dark Knight down for good."

In addition to Weller and Emerson, The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 features Mark Valley (Human Target, Fringe) as Superman, David Selby (The Social Network, Dark Shadows) as Commissioner Gordon, Ariel Winter (Modern Family) as Carrie/Robin and Michael McKean (This is Spinal Tap) as Dr. Bartholomew Wolper.

It arrives on Blu-ray and DVD from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on January 29, 2013.

Follow @NerdyRScoundrel

NEW YORK COMIC CON 2012: Photos, Images & Cosplay

Follow @NerdyRScoundrel