Prime Video is the new home for Batman’s animated content – and I’m all for it
Prime Video is set to become the new streaming home for new animated Batman projects, including the much anticipated Batman: Caped Crusader animated series.
In March, we reported that Batman: Caped Crusader would glide its way onto Amazon’s streaming platform following its cancellation on HBO Max. Almost six weeks later, Amazon has finally confirmed that the sequel to the acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series will launch exclusively on Prime Video, with the streamer greenlighting two seasons of the Bruce Timm, JJ Abrams, and Matt Reeves-developed animated TV show.
Caped Crusader isn’t the only Batman project in the works for Prime Video, though. In an Amazon Studios press release, the company also confirmed two other animated offerings were being created specifically for one of the world’s best streaming services – both of which would star Damian Wayne, Batman’s sociopathic son.
The first of these productions is Merry Little Batman, an action-comedy film that’ll see a young Damian assume the role of ‘Little Batman’ as he defends Wayne Manor (and Gotham City) from the Dark Knight’s various villains during the holiday season. A spin-off series, titled Bat-Family, will follow, and focus on Bruce Wayne/Batman, Damian, and butler Alfred as they navigate the trials and tribulations of being a rich, superhero-centric family.
As the below images shows, the animation style in these shows represent a marked departure from the visuals we’ve seen in previous animated Batman projects.
Bat-Family and Merry Little Batman will have a distinctive art style. (Image credit: Warner Bros. Animation)
Commenting on the announcement, Amazon and MGM Studios’ Head of Television vernon Sanders said: “Batman: The Animated Series helped pioneer in the evolution of superhero storytelling and defined the Dark Knight for a generation. Batman: Caped Crusader will no doubt continue that tradition and, alongside Merry Little Batman and Bat-Family, we’re thrilled to collaborate with Warner Bros. Animation to offer a variety of takes on the Batman mythos to our global Prime Video customers.”
No release date has been set for this trio of Batman productions. Their additions to Prime Video in the coming years, though, will only strengthen the streamer’s back catalog of top-tier animated content, including Invincible, The Legend of Vox Machina, and Undone.
A Prime (Video) home for Batman’s global audience
Batman’s next live-action appearance will be in DCEU movie The Flash. (Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)
It might seem odd that Prime Video is the new home for all things Batman (from an animation perspective, anyway). The legendary superhero/vigilante is one of DC Comics’ most popular characters and, by proxy, the rights to the Dark Knight are owned by Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD).
Considering that WBD has its own streaming platforms – HBO Max, the home of its live-action and animated DC content, and Discovery Plus – it’s strange that one of these services, or WBD’s forthcoming super-streamer Max, won’t be the home to new animated Batman projects.
Well, new animated fare like Batman: Caped Crusader was originally set to air on HBO Max. However, cost-cutting measures at WBD, which began in the wake of Warner Bros’ merger with Discovery in March 2022, meant that numerous HBO Max animated projects were cancelled.
Thankfully, Amazon Studios has stepped in to save some of them. And, in my mind, it’s a good thing that it did. Not only will we get to see a Bruce Timm-developed sequel to Batman: The Animated Series – one of the best animated shows of all-time, I think you’ll agree – but more people will be able to watch it, too. That’s due to Prime Video being available globally, whereas HBO Max’s availability has been limited to world regions like North and Latin America, and some parts of Europe. As long as Batman: Caped Crusader is half as good as its predecessor, you bet it’ll be on our best Prime Video shows in no time.
Batman fans can expect plenty more Dark Knight-centric content over the next few years. First up is the return of Michael Keaton’s Bruce Wayne/Batman in The Flash, one of the last DC Extended Universe (DCEU) movies before WBD’s main superhero universe is reborn as the DC Cinematic Universe (DCU). Be sure to read our trailer breakdown article on The Flash‘s latest teaser, too, for all of the coolest Easter eggs it’ll contain.
The DCU will also see Damian Wayne make his live-action debut in a new Batman film, titled The Brave and The Bold, sometime in the next few years, too. Be sure to read about why it’s one of our most anticipated DCU Chapter One projects while you’re here. Lastly, WBD is fleshing out its Elseworlds universe centered on Matt Reeves’ The Batman, with The Batman Part II, an HBO Max spin-off starring Colin Farrell’s Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin, and a horror-esque Arkham Asylum series in the works.
For more Batman coverage, find out how to watch the Batman movies in order. Alternatively, read our Batman movies ranked piece, or see which Dark Knight films made it into our best superhero movies guide.
