Just days after we broke the news on a release date…
Holy second turns, the Batman vs. Two-Face trailer is here!
As we reported the other day, the sequel to last year’s Return of the Caped Crusaders is expected to hit Blu-ray and DVD on 10/17. (Click here for more info.) The animated flick not only features Adam West’s final portrayal as the Caped Crusader, it co-stars William Shatner as Two-Face, in addition to returning original cast members Burt Ward and Julie Newmar.
Take a look:
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So here are 13 QUICK THOUGHTS right off the top:
1. William Shatner is a better voice actor than I realized. He sounds like himself as Harvey Dent but his gravelly Two-Face is virtually unrecognizable.
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2. Hugo Strange is a nice surprise. Never thought of him as German though. Not that it matters.
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3. Catwoman only briefly in the trailer? Boo. But I get it. This is about the mega-kitsch pairing of West and Shatner.
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4. It feels a little more straightforward action than slapstick. I know it’s just a trailer, though.
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5. Still, last year’s Return of the Caped Crusaders trailer leaned heavily on the laughs, so we’ll see.
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6. By the way, ever see the script page Julie Newmar posted on Facebook last year? I’ve run it before but here it is in case you haven’t. (Love her notes):
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7. They came up with a less horrifying origin for Two-Face, looks like. Makes sense given how Harvey was left out of the original show. You’d want to imagine how Harvey would be handled by Dozier, et al.
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8. Speaking of, it’s interesting that it doesn’t seem like they went with Harlan Ellison’s unfilmed script treatment, which was adapted by Len Wein into a comic a couple of years ago. I wonder if rights/royalties concerns played into the decision.
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9. Curious as to whether the remaining major villains –Joker, Penguin and Riddler — will have significant speaking roles.
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10. Though Strange’s lab assistant did sound an awful lot like Harley Quinn, so maybe at least the Joker will play an important part.
11. Love how the title is an homage to the 1966 movie credits.
12. I predict the movie will premiere at New York Comic Con in October. I don’t think I even have to flip a coin to decide the odds. I’m betting clean-side up all the way.
13. Sadly, we’ll not get to interview Adam West about the movie. But you can hear him discuss Return of the Caped Crusaders — and the legacy of Batman ’66 — by clicking here.
August 9, 2017
I would imagine that since Harlan Ellison published the Two-Face script himself; he owns it now. I thought I read somewhere that the ’66 Harvey Dent would have been a reporter and they were considering Clint Eastwood. Hopefully, Shatner lives up to Richard Moll in the dual identity. When it was first announced, it was Two-Face teaming up with King Tut. I never knew Tut was a one off. This seems even better. Hopefully, Shatner’s Dent is still DA.
Even though Mr. West is gone, part of me hopes that this does well enough to warrant three-quel, maybe even a fourth-quel. I’d hate to see his Batman re-cast…but, I would love to see The Scarecrow, Poison Ivy and other Bat-villains in animation…
As a tribute to Mr. West.
August 10, 2017
If they had to recast Batman, how about Lyle Waggoner? He played Batman in a screen test. Unfortunately, Dick Gautier who played Batman in the live-action PSA has passed away.
August 10, 2017
I know this is nitpicky, but they’re still not using the right sounds for the Batmobile, and I hated the addition of the sliding doors at the bottom of the Batpole. Why?
August 10, 2017
I think there’s a chance this one is less goofy than the original RETURN was. I’m all for less slapstick. Shatner sounds great.
August 11, 2017
Has anybody heard of Fathom Events is going to be showing it in movie theaters like they did for Return of the Caped Crusaders? I’m not seeing anything about it on their website yet.
August 11, 2017
It’s a little early, Tony. I wouldn’t be surprised, though!