Batman: Death In The Family Animated Short Coming As Part of DC Showcase

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Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, in partnership with DC, are currently in production on five new DC Showcase animated shorts for release in 2019-2020.

Inspired by characters and stories from DC’s robust portfolio, the all-new series of shorts will be included on upcoming DC Universe Movies releases, with exception of an innovative Batman: Death in the Family long-form animated short, which will anchor a compilation set for distribution in late 2020.

Each of the five shorts – entitled Sgt. Rock, Adam Strange, Death, The Phantom Stranger and Batman: Death in the Family – opens with a new, live-action branding sequence that features a few Easter Eggs specially added for observant fans.

Sgt. Rock is executive produced and directed by Bruce Timm (Batman: The Animated Series) from a script by award-winning comics writers Louise Simonson & Walter Simonson and Tim Sheridan (Reign of the Supermen). The original tale finds battle-weary Sgt. Rock thinking he has seen everything that World War II can dish out. But he is in for the surprise of his life when he is assigned to lead a company consisting of legendary monsters into battle against an unstoppableplatoon of Nazi zombies. Karl Urban (Star Trek & Lord of the Rings film franchises) provides the voice of Sgt. Rock. Also voicing characters in Sgt. Rock are Keith Ferguson, William Salyers and Audrey Wasilewski.

Adam Strangeis produced and directed by Butch Lukic (Batman Unlimited franchise), who also conceived the original story – which is written by J.M. DeMatteis (Constantine: City of Demons). On a rugged asteroid mining colony, few of the toiling workers are awarethat their town drunk was ever anything but an interplanetary derelict. But when the miners open afissure into the home of a horde of deadly alien insects, his true identity is exposed. He is spaceadventurer Adam Strange, whose heroic backstory is played out in flashbacks as he strugglesto save the very people who have scorned him for so long. Charlie Weber (How To Get Away with Murder) provides the voice of Adam Strange, alongside with Roger R. Cross, Kimberly Brooks, Ray Chase and Fred Tatasciore.

Inspired by Neil Gaiman’s “The Sandman,” Death is produced & directed by Sam Liu (Justice League vs. The Fatal Five) and written by J.M. DeMatteis (Batman: Bad Blood). In the story, Vincent, an artist with unresolved inner demons, meets a mysterious girl who helps him come to terms with his creative legacy … and eventual death. Leonardo Nam (Westworld) provides the voice of Vincent, and Jamie Chung (The Gifted, Big Hero 6) is the voice of Death. The cast includes Darin De Paul, Keith Szarabajka and Kari Wahlgren.

The Phantom Stranger has Bruce Timm (Batman: The Killing Joke) at the helm as executive producer & director, and the short is written by Ernie Altbacker (Teen Titans: The Judas Contract). Set in the 1970s, the short follows young adult Jess as she joins her friends at a party in adilapidated mansion hosted by the mysterious Seth. When odd things begin to happen to Jess and her friends, the Phantom Stranger intervenes to save her from a dreary fate. Peter Serafinowicz (The Tick) gives voice to The Phantom Stranger, and Michael Rosenbaum (Smallville, Impastor) provides the voice of Seth. The Phantom Stranger also features the voices of Natalie Lander, Grey Griffin and Roger Craig Smith.

More information regarding Batman: Death In The Family will be available in 2020.

All five new DC Showcase shorts credits include Jim Krieg as co-producer, Amy McKenna as producer, and Sam Register as executive producer.

Initially launched in 2010, DC Showcase was originally comprised of four animated shorts produced by Bruce Timm and directed by Joaquim Dos Santos: The Spectre (released on 2/23/2010), Jonah Hex (7/27/2010), Green Arrow (9/28/2010) and Superman/Shazam: The Return of Black Adam (11/9/2010). An additional short, Catwoman (10/18/2011), was attached the following year to the release of Batman: Year One, and was directed by Lauren Montgomery and executive produced by Bruce Timm. Screenwriters on the initial quintet were Steve Niles (The Spectre), Joe Lansdale (Jonah Hex), Greg Weisman (Green Arrow), Michael Jelenic (Superman/Shazam: The Return of Black Adam) and Paul Dini (Catwoman).

Actors featured on the first five shorts were Malcolm McDowell, James Garner (in his final performance), Jerry O’Connell, Linda Hamilton, Gary Cole, Alyssa Milano, Thomas Jane, Michael Rooker, Eliza Dushku, Neal McDonough, Ariel Winter, Danica McKeller, George Newbern, Michelle Trachtenberg and Arnold Vosloo, as well as Jon Polito, Rob Paulsen, Jeff Bennett, Steve Blum, Grey Delisle, John DiMaggio, Josh Keaton, Zach Callison, Jason Marsden, Liliana Mumy, Tara Strong, Cree Summer and Kevin Michael Richardson.[/quote]

[url]https://www.newsarama.com/45078-new-dc-showcase-animated-shorts-to-feature-sgt-rock-adam-strange-death-more.html[/url]

Yay! I loved the Showcase shorts, so glad to be getting those back again. As for the Death in the Family, on the one hand it feels unneeded since the intro to Under the Red Hood, but on the other hand, we also all knew it would happen eventually, and it probably is better off as a short than a longer picture. God I wish this was the route they had gone with for The Killing Joke.

[QUOTE=Vakanai;4344103]Yay! I loved the Showcase shorts, so glad to be getting those back again. As for the Death in the Family, on the one hand it feels unneeded since the intro to Under the Red Hood, but on the other hand, we also all knew it would happen eventually, and it probably is better off as a short than a longer picture. God I wish this was the route they had gone with for The Killing Joke.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, it's a weird choice, isn't it? But I'm guessing that, by when the short will be released/aired, the second season of Titans will have ended or about to end. So, if they do develop Jason's Robin in that DC Universe series, and end up killing him, it would help the audience to better understand what has happened (or at least, what happened in the comics once upon a time).

I don't mind them doing a short on [I]Death in the Family[/I] (I'm just happy they're doing more DC Showcase shorts again in general), but I'm curious what they'll do with it since [I]Under the Red Hood[/I] pretty much covered the main beats fairly well.

I also wonder if there's a reason they're so tight-lipped on it versus the other shorts.

Will it be framed as a prequel to [I]Under the Red Hood[/I]?

[QUOTE=Frontier;4344176]I don't mind them doing a short on [I]Death in the Family[/I] (I'm just happy they're doing more DC Showcase shorts again in general), but I'm curious what they'll do with it since [I]Under the Red Hood[/I] pretty much covered the main beats fairly well.

I also wonder if there's a reason they're so tight-lipped on it versus the other shorts.

Will it be framed as a prequel to [I]Under the Red Hood[/I]?[/QUOTE]

I guess it depends on if they use the "Jason looking for his mother/meanwhile, Joker's working worldwide" plot from the comics or the plot with the "Sarajevo mission/when Joker kidnaps Jason" plot from Under the Red Hood. Once they release an official description, I think we will know for sure; because I don't know how they could tell what's the short about if they don't put at least the premise from where it all springs.

[QUOTE=Zaresh;4344192]I guess it depends on if they use the "Jason looking for his mother/meanwhile, Joker's working worldwide" plot from the comics or the plot with the "Sarajevo mission/when Joker kidnaps Jason" plot from Under the Red Hood. Once they release an official description, I think we will know for sure; because I don't know how they could tell what's the short about if they don't put at least the premise from where it all springs.[/QUOTE]
I've seen a theory that it might actually be the "Death in the Family" of the [I]Young Justice[/I] universe, which would be interesting.

[QUOTE=Frontier;4344204]I've seen a theory that it might actually be the "Death in the Family" of the [I]Young Justice[/I] universe, which would be interesting.[/QUOTE]

Oooh, that would be really cool, yeah.

I'm wondering how they will adapt Death in the Family. I would guess that "long-form animated short" (sounds like a paradoxon) wil have at best the length of an typical animated Episode, so roughly 15-20 minutes.
That's to short for an adaptation of the complete story.
I guess they will only do the first half of the story that end with Jasons death, and skip the Joker as Ambassador stuff.

[QUOTE=Frontier;4344204]I've seen a theory that it might actually be the "Death in the Family" of the [I]Young Justice[/I] universe, which would be interesting.[/QUOTE]
Hope not, wasn't crazy with their version of the Joker, and I don't want to clutter up Jason's movie with other stuff just to try and tie it in with any particular continuity.
[QUOTE=Aahz;4344322]I'm wondering how they will adapt Death in the Family. I would guess that "long-form animated short" (sounds like a paradoxon) wil have at best the length of an typical animated Episode, so roughly 15-20 minutes.
That's to short for an adaptation of the complete story.
I guess they will only do the first half of the story that end with Jasons death, and skip the Joker as Ambassador stuff.[/QUOTE]

They should really skip the ambassador bit.

[QUOTE=Aahz;4344322]I'm wondering how they will adapt Death in the Family. I would guess that "long-form animated short" (sounds like a paradoxon) wil have at best the length of an typical animated Episode, so roughly 15-20 minutes.
That's to short for an adaptation of the complete story.
I guess they will only do the first half of the story that end with Jasons death, and skip the Joker as Ambassador stuff.[/QUOTE]
It'll probably be as long as the Superman/Shazam thing, I imagine.

[QUOTE=Vakanai;4344416]Hope not, wasn't crazy with their version of the Joker, and I don't want to clutter up Jason's movie with other stuff just to try and tie it in with any particular continuity.


They should really skip the ambassador bit.[/QUOTE]

I don't know. As "lame" and unbelievable as it could be nowadays, I think we still need to put Joker in a position in which Bruce couldn't touch him. I think it was kind of a point in the story, with Bruce being enraged after Jason's death, but the Joker being out of his reach for a while because his post and the problem that going after him could cause. It also kind of nods the diplomat's son story, where Bruce was helpless and couldn't do a lot in the end.

(Oh, I didn't realise about the parallels until now. Nice)

Sounds like one of those things you need to take some Prozac for before watching.

[QUOTE=Zaresh;4344486]I don't know. As "lame" and unbelievable as it could be nowadays, I think we still need to put Joker in a position in which Bruce couldn't touch him. I think it was kind of a point in the story, with Bruce being enraged after Jason's death, but the Joker being out of his reach for a while because his post and the problem that going after him could cause. It also kind of nods the diplomat's son story, where Bruce was helpless and couldn't do a lot in the end.

(Oh, I didn't realise about the parallels until now. Nice)[/QUOTE]

One thing, you can do the same thing without the ridiculous ambassador angle, just have Joker go to ground and have Batman unable to find him, the end result is then the same. Plus time is a factor here, this is a shorter film after all, best not to waste time setting up something many of us will roll our eyes at, and better to use those minutes instead focusing on Bruce, Jason, and the horror of what the Joker is doing/has done. Make it a much tighter story and throw out the more out there, superfluous parts.

[QUOTE=Vakanai;4345327]One thing, you can do the same thing without the ridiculous ambassador angle, just have Joker go to ground and have Batman unable to find him, the end result is then the same. Plus time is a factor here, this is a shorter film after all, best not to waste time setting up something many of us will roll our eyes at, and better to use those minutes instead focusing on Bruce, Jason, and the horror of what the Joker is doing/has done. Make it a much tighter story and throw out the more out there, superfluous parts.[/QUOTE]
I don't know if they'll get to the part where Batman goes after Joker, but I imagine at the very least one thing they'll keep is Batman doggedly trying to get him (possibly to kill him) and Joker having one of his classic "death" moments.

[QUOTE=Frontier;4346601]I don't know if they'll get to the part where Batman goes after Joker, but I imagine at the very least one thing they'll keep is Batman doggedly trying to get him (possibly to kill him) and Joker having one of his classic "death" moments.[/QUOTE]

I think it might end with the death of Jason actually, rather than the aftermath afterwards.