Back in December 2023, we chatted with comic book creator Ed Brubaker about his experiences working as head writer on Batman: Caped Crusader. He was hyped, we were hyped… But we didn’t know how long we’d have to wait to actually watch the series. And now, we finally know when Batman: Caped Crusader will premiere on Prime Video: August 1, 2024.
The news comes via a series of first-look photos and synopsis for the show, which was first announced as coming to Max (formerly HBO Max) and Cartoon Network way back in 2021. The series has a powerhouse team behind it: J.J. Abrams, Matt Reeves (writer/director of The Batman), and Bruce Timm, aka 50% of the creative braintrust behind Batman: The Animated Series.
After Max went through some, uh, changes, Warner Bros. Discovery’s animated Batman output was farmed out to Amazon’s Prime Video in 2023. That includes the previously released holiday movie Merry Little Batman, as well as the upcoming Caped Crusader.
Read on for a whole lot more info on the series, including those first-look photos, character bios, number of episodes, and what we know about the cast list… Which is mostly highly incorrect speculation on fan wikis.
Batman: Caped Crusader Official Synopsis:
Here’s the official synopsis for the series, per Prime Video’s press site:
Welcome to Gotham City, where the corrupt outnumber the good, criminals run rampant and law-abiding citizens live in a constant state of fear. Forged in the fire of tragedy, wealthy socialite Bruce Wayne becomes something both more and less than human—the BATMAN. His one-man crusade for justice attracts unexpected allies within the GCPD and City Hall, but his heroic actions spawn deadly, unforeseen ramifications.
The series is a reimagining of the Batman mythology through the visionary lens of executive producers J.J. Abrams, Matt Reeves and Bruce Timm. Based on DC characters, Batman: Caped Crusader hails from Warner Bros. Animation, Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions and Reeves’ 6th & Idaho. Along with Abrams, Reeves and Timm, Batman: Caped Crusader executive producers include Ed Brubaker, James Tucker, Daniel Pipski, Rachel Rusch Rich, and Sam Register.
What Is The Batman: Caped Crusader Release Date?
Batman: Caped Crusader will premiere on Amazon’s Prime Video in full on August 1, 2024. That means all 10 episodes in Season 1 will premiere at the same time. As for release time that is TBD. Invincible is a good comp here, and it released new episodes on Thursdays at 3 am ET / Midnight PT. However, other Prime Video series like The Boys were previously released on Thursday evenings at 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT.
And then there’s Fallout, which “surprise” premiered a full day early on a Wednesday at 9 pm ET / 6 pm PT.
Point being, Batman: Caped Crusader is currently scheduled to premiere on August 1, 2024. But stay tuned for info on when it will actually be released, including time, as that is subject to change.
Who Is In The Batman: Caped Crusader Cast?
To start on an extremely sour note here, we can tell you who is not in the Batman: Caped Crusader cast: Kevin Conroy. The voice of Batman from the original Batman: The Animated Series all the way through the Arkham games — and even up through cameos in the recently released Crisis on Infinite Earths movies — sadly passed away on November 10, 2022.
Could Conroy have pre-recorded his role? Possibly. As Brubaker told us, the Season 1 scripts were done “about a year and a half ago” when we talked to him in December 2023. That would set the scripts being finished at around mid-2022 before Conroy passed away. But it’s unlikely he recorded all 10 episodes of the series and they were able to roll with them, with no changes, before his passing.
As for the other cast, a fan wiki has Kevin Conroy listed as Batman (which is likely incorrect, per the above) and Diedrich Bader as TBA. If anything, it seems possible that Bader — who voices Batman in the Harley Quinn animated series — could also do the voice for Caped Crusader.
IMDb, which mind you is also user-curated, has actor Malcolm Vaughn listed as providing a voice for three episodes. Vaughn is voicing Agent Stone in Sonic Rise (played on screen in the movies by Lee Majdoub). He’s also voicing the character of Zen in the upcoming Wolverine video game.
There’s also an extremely fake list of names circulating that includes Zachary Quinto as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Jeffrey Wright as Captain James Gordon, Gillian Jacobs, Stephanie Beatriz, Alexander Siddig, Sterling K. Brown, Andy Daly, Tara Strong, Clancy Brown, Ed Helms, Liam Neeson, Troy Baker and Jim Rash.
This cast sounds awesome, I agree. However, just note that the character is named “Commissioner Jim Gordon” not “Captain” and you can start to see where this all falls apart.
The short version here? The show has not currently announced any voice actors. Mostly, I wanted to include all this to (hopefully) debunk some of the incorrect info bopping around.
Batman: Caped Crusader First Look Photos:
Check out a gallery of first-look photos for the series, below! And click for larger versions of the stills.
Batman: Caped Crusader Character Bios:
Along with the first-look photos, Amazon also provided character bios for the above, well, characters. So per Amazon, here’s the info below:
- BATMAN – A cold, remorseless avenger of evil, seemingly more machine than man. Forged in the fire of tragedy, every fiber of his being is dedicated to the eradication of crime.
- BRUCE WAYNE – To the public at large, Bruce Wayne is a shallow dilettante, apparently wasting his parents’ vast fortune on frivolous pursuits and hedonistic pleasures. In fact, he’s an elaborate facade, carefully constructed to divert attention from his activities as Batman.
- SELINA KYLE / “CATWOMAN” – Selena Kyle is a blithe and pampered heiress whose family lost their fortune after her father was imprisoned for embezzlement. Despite having the silver spoon yanked from her mouth, Selina refuses to quit living in the lap of luxury and becomes Catwoman as a “fun” way to maintain her lavish lifestyle.
- DR. HARLEEN QUINZEL / “HARLEY QUINN” – Despite a personable and bubbly demeanor, Dr. Harleen Quinzel is a brilliant psychiatrist who treats some of Gotham’s elite. However, as Harley Quinn, she is a different person, entirely. A creepy, quiet, calculating menace who secretly dispenses her twisted justice to the truly despicable among her elite clientele.
- COMMISSIONER JIM GORDON – Former beat cop close to retirement, Gordon was hired to play along with the corrupt system and run out the clock till he can draw a pension. But they’ve sorely underestimated Jim Gordon. His unassailable character brings him into conflict with dirty cops and crooked politicians, alike. Not to mention, he has to reckon with a deranged vigilante beating up Gotham’s criminals.
- CLAYFACE – Thanks to his “unique” facial features, screen actor Basil Karlo has been forever typecast as a B-movie heavy. Frustrated by the limitations his appearance put on both his career and personal life (he fell hopelessly in love with his co-star), Karlo turned to an experimental serum that promised to change his face. However, not only does this serum ultimately disfigure his face, but it ruptures the last of his sanity — creating the tragic, vengeance seeking villain, Clayface.
Will Batman: Caped Crusader Stream On Max Or Netflix?
Nope! Just Prime Video, this is an Amazon exclusive. That doesn’t mean the series won’t head to either Max or Netflix eventually… Everything is moving all over the place nowadays. But this series is more in line with The Boys and Invincible in that for the foreseeable future, it will only live on Prime Video.
