Batman: The Long Halloween Animated Film Voice Actors Cast!

[Frontier]

I think it's been slated to have an R-rating.

[bat39]

You can also slot most of the Legends of the Dark Knight into that rough chronology (although Prey and Dark Moon Rising's Monster Men kind of contradict each other a bit). There's also Catwoman: Her Sister's Keeper and When in Rome somewhere in there. And then Robin Year One and Batgirl Year One after Dark Victory.

The Man Who Laughs might need to be changed a bit to be more "cinematic" for a movie, but I agree I'd love to see it get adapted.

Yeah, some of those Year One stories contradict each other in the small details - especially stuff like Gordon's rank. God knows how much more confusing stuff has gotten after New 52 and Rebirth.

I agree that The Man Who Laughs would need to be changed. I'm not advocating a 'straight' adaptation - more like using it as a loose framework for a Batman-Joker ''first encounter'' story. They can keep the main story beats - the Joker announcing a series of murders and killing people in all kinds of imaginative and crazy ways, Batman and Gordon's growing partnership, Joker's attempt to poison Gotham's reservoir - and spin a new narrative about Batman coming to terms with a new kind of psychopathic criminal mastermind. They can probably throw in a few elements from the '89 film, TDK etc.

[godisawesome]

Yeah, some of those Year One stories contradict each other in the small details - especially stuff like Gordon's rank. God knows how much more confusing stuff has gotten after New 52 and Rebirth.

I agree that The Man Who Laughs would need to be changed. I'm not advocating a 'straight' adaptation - more like using it as a loose framework for a Batman-Joker ''first encounter'' story. They can keep the main story beats - the Joker announcing a series of murders and killing people in all kinds of imaginative and crazy ways, Batman and Gordon's growing partnership, Joker's attempt to poison Gotham's reservoir - and spin a new narrative about Batman coming to terms with a new kind of psychopathic criminal mastermind. They can probably throw in a few elements from the '89 film, TDK etc.

Batman’s early years in Post-Crisis wind up being an excellent example of “loose but enthusiastic continuity”; there’s a bunch of contradictions on the details and in the periphery... but they all love the setting, attitude, and references they can give each other.

[bat39]

Batman’s early years in Post-Crisis wind up being an excellent example of “loose but enthusiastic continuity”; there’s a bunch of contradictions on the details and in the periphery... but they all love the setting, attitude, and references they can give each other.

That's a great way of putting it!

''Year One'' practically became a sub-genre of Batman stories. As you said, its all about the ''setting and attitude''. They weren't necessarily beholden to any other story in terms of specifics other than Miller's Year One. But they all embraced the same core ideas - a more corrupt and hopeless Gotham run by the Mob, a more inexperienced Batman who can suffer serious defeats and setbacks, Batman as an outlaw vigilante hunted by the GCPD and in the early stages of his partnership with Gotham, costumed villains emerging for the first time, Bruce Wayne as more billionaire playboy than industrialist/philantrophist...

Nolan's first two Batman movies, and Matt Reeves' upcoming movie, are all love letters to this retroactive era!

[Vakanai]

That's a great way of putting it!

''Year One'' practically became a sub-genre of Batman stories. As you said, its all about the ''setting and attitude''. They weren't necessarily beholden to any other story in terms of specifics other than Miller's Year One. But they all embraced the same core ideas - a more corrupt and hopeless Gotham run by the Mob, a more inexperienced Batman who can suffer serious defeats and setbacks, Batman as an outlaw vigilante hunted by the GCPD and in the early stages of his partnership with Gotham, costumed villains emerging for the first time, Bruce Wayne as more billionaire playboy than industrialist/philantrophist...

Nolan's first two Batman movies, and Matt Reeves' upcoming movie, are all love letters to this retroactive era!

They're my favorite stories and era of Batman. A lot of pulp, a lot of noir, a lot of gritty crime drama, and yet still plenty of colorful super heroics and villainy to go around too. And there's not as big a Bat "family" yet, so Batman feels much more vulnerable with fewer allies to fall back on. It's just a great and interesting time in Batman's career to make stories of.

And I'm so excited for The Batman!

[bat39]

They're my favorite stories and era of Batman. A lot of pulp, a lot of noir, a lot of gritty crime drama, and yet still plenty of colorful super heroics and villainy to go around too. And there's not as big a Bat "family" yet, so Batman feels much more vulnerable with fewer allies to fall back on. It's just a great and interesting time in Batman's career to make stories of.

And I'm so excited for The Batman!

Amen to that!

If I ever got to write a Batman story for DC, this is the era I'd want to set it in (that, or a completely new self-contained universe). The present-day Batman mythos with his gigantic Bat-family and long, complex history has its advantages, but if I wanted to tell a Batman story just featuring Batman, I'd much rather prefer the stripped-down Year One era.

That's another reason why I'm really excited for this TLH movie. Apart from Year One, the animated films have never explored this era much (and for much of the past decade, have been centered around Damian and a New 52-esq take on the Bat-family).

[Vakanai]

Amen to that!

If I ever got to write a Batman story for DC, this is the era I'd want to set it in (that, or a completely new self-contained universe). The present-day Batman mythos with his gigantic Bat-family and long, complex history has its advantages, but if I wanted to tell a Batman story just featuring Batman, I'd much rather prefer the stripped-down Year One era.

That's another reason why I'm really excited for this TLH movie. Apart from Year One, the animated films have never explored this era much (and for much of the past decade, have been centered around Damian and a New 52-esq take on the Bat-family).

I'm a little apprehensive about the TLH movie, because it seems they're setting it in their new shared universe, and their last universe completely and totally and utterly burned me to the point I can't trust them to do right by any adaptation set in one of their shared universes, which sucks because TLH is my favorite Batman story of all time.
Here's hoping they prove me wrong and I'm worrying for nothing. But I just can't look forward to this now. DC animated "shared universe" is a total hype killer for me right now.

[Frontier]

I'm a little apprehensive about the TLH movie, because it seems they're setting it in their new shared universe, and their last universe completely and totally and utterly burned me to the point I can't trust them to do right by any adaptation set in one of their shared universes, which sucks because TLH is my favorite Batman story of all time.
Here's hoping they prove me wrong and I'm worrying for nothing. But I just can't look forward to this now. DC animated "shared universe" is a total hype killer for me right now.

If a shared universe aspect didn't really affect Man of Tomorrow or JSA: WW2, then I don't expect it will have much of an impact on this film. It will probably be totally standalone.

[bat39]

If a shared universe aspect didn't really affect Man of Tomorrow or JSA: WW2, then I don't expect it will have much of an impact on this film. It will probably be totally standalone.

I guess TLH being set in the Year One era also helps because its before Batman would have really gotten involved with Superman or any other superheroes. So its free to have its own tone and be completely standalone.'

Honestly, I always believed the earlier DC animated films were also set in a shared universe, unless explicitly stated otherwise - Superman Doomsday, Green Lantern First Flight, Wonder Woman, Batman Under the Hood, Batman Year One, the two Superman/Batman films, the Justice League films...and so on. They just became a bit more explicit about it post-Flashpoint with the ''New 52'' series.

[Vakanai]

If a shared universe aspect didn't really affect Man of Tomorrow or JSA: WW2, then I don't expect it will have much of an impact on this film. It will probably be totally standalone.

Man of Tomorrow was the first film - it didn't have anything to tie into yet. JSA we haven't seen yet (unless it's out on digital already? Is it?) so it might, we don't know yet - and it's set in the past. This is the first movie not set in the past and not the lone entry in this universe. So we can't make that assumption. Why, after everything I've went through (and honestly, I thought of typing "suffered through" there instead) should I think this will "probably" be fine or better than their last abomination of a shared universe?

[Vakanai]

I guess TLH being set in the Year One era also helps because its before Batman would have really gotten involved with Superman or any other superheroes. So its free to have its own tone and be completely standalone.'

Honestly, I always believed the earlier DC animated films were also set in a shared universe, unless explicitly stated otherwise - Superman Doomsday, Green Lantern First Flight, Wonder Woman, Batman Under the Hood, Batman Year One, the two Superman/Batman films, the Justice League films...and so on. They just became a bit more explicit about it post-Flashpoint with the ''New 52'' series.

That's up to you if you wanted to headcanon it that way, but there was absolutely nothing about those films at all to suggest that they shared continuity. I never believed that they did.

[Frontier]

I guess TLH being set in the Year One era also helps because its before Batman would have really gotten involved with Superman or any other superheroes. So its free to have its own tone and be completely standalone.'

Honestly, I always believed the earlier DC animated films were also set in a shared universe, unless explicitly stated otherwise - Superman Doomsday, Green Lantern First Flight, Wonder Woman, Batman Under the Hood, Batman Year One, the two Superman/Batman films, the Justice League films...and so on. They just became a bit more explicit about it post-Flashpoint with the ''New 52'' series.

I swear there was a Superman reference in at least Dark Victory or late into Long Halloween.

Man of Tomorrow was the first film - it didn't have anything to tie into yet. JSA we haven't seen yet (unless it's out on digital already? Is it?) so it might, we don't know yet - and it's set in the past. This is the first movie not set in the past and not the lone entry in this universe. So we can't make that assumption. Why, after everything I've went through (and honestly, I thought of typing "suffered through" there instead) should I think this will "probably" be fine or better than their last abomination of a shared universe?

Technically Long Halloween was supposed to come before Man of Tomorrow did.

[Vakanai]

Technically Long Halloween was supposed to come before Man of Tomorrow did.

That somehow still doesn't fill me with confidence.
I mean they lost all my trust with their last universe. You just don't immediately start a new one and expect people to just believe you'll do better this time because...just because.

[Frontier]

That somehow still doesn't fill me with confidence.
I mean they lost all trust with their last universe, you just don't immediately start a new one and expect people to just believe you'll do better this time because...just because.

I don't think it's a matter of losing all trust in the last universe, just wanting to do something different with a new creative team and approach. Which seems to be the case so far.

[Vakanai]

I don't think it's a matter of losing all trust in the last universe, just wanting to do something different with a new creative team and approach. Which seems to be the case so far.

It is to me. I lost all trust in WB/DC DTV animated division regarding shared continuity they did it so bad. You don't just earn my trust back by getting a new team and shouting "Do over!"
The last go of an animated universe burned me. It burned me bad. I can't just put blind hope in them anymore to churn out a good project once the word "universe" comes into play.