For those of you irradiated with purchase anxiety since the debut of the first trailer for Batman: Year One, relax, we've officially got a release date to countdown to. So, unrelax, and begin your countdown clock. Batman: Year One, the next entry in DC's increasingly impressive direct-to-DVD animated feature collection, has officially been graced with an October 18th, 2011 release date from Warner Brothers who've also given us a look at the Blu-ray cover art. The film will be available on shelves starting October 18th, but if you're going to Comic-Con you'll have the chance to see it before everyone else. Lucky you. Seriously, because Batman: Year One looks promising, from its great animation aesthetic to the Frank Miller story it's based on (we'll get into that shortly). Will it top All-Star Superman? Maybe, but that's an incredible feat for a mere mortal, considering All-Star is the best television or film incarnation of Superman since Bruce Timm's Justice League and Supes doesn't get many chances to shine onscreen these days.
Batman: Year One is directed by Lauren Montgomery (Batman/Superman: Apocalypse) and Sam Liu (All-Star Superman) and features the voice talent of Ben McKenzie (Southland) as Batman/Bruce Wayne, Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) as Jim Gordon, Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica) as Detective Sarah Essen, Eliza Dushku (Dollhouse) as Catwoman/Selina Kyle, and Alex Rocco as Carmine Falcone.
So without further ado, here's the synopsis, the cover art, the rundown on the roughly three hours of content, and we've thrown in the trailer for good measure.
Official Synopsis:
The film depicts young Bruce Wayne’s return to Gotham City in his first attempts to fight injustice as a costumed vigilante. The playboy billionaire chooses the guise of a giant bat to combat crime, creates an early bond with a young Lieutenant James Gordon (who is already battling corruption from inside the police department), inadvertently plays a role in the birth of Catwoman, and helps to bring down a crooked political system that infests Gotham.
The official listing of the extras:
· Sneak Peek at Justice League: Doom, the next DC Universe Animated Original Movie
- DC Showcase Animated Original Short – “Catwoman”: This all-new entry to the growing canon of DC Universe animated shorts features the first first solo tale centered around Catwoman. The felonious feline’s adventure takes her through the seedy streets of Gotham City. Catwoman is voiced by Eliza Dushku (Dollhouse, Tru Calling).
- Featurette –“Heart of Vengeance: Returning Batman to His Roots”: “The Dark Knight Returns” provided the denouement of Batman's life. Frank Miller's next seminal work would provide his near-mythic origin in “Batman: Year One.” This documentary uncovers the contemporary genius of Miller and the audience that was poised to appreciate the depths of his work.
- Featurette –“Conversations with DC Comics”: The Batman creative team at DC Entertainment discusses the personal influence of “Batman: Year One” on their careers. Batman producer Michael Uslan leads the chat amongst well-known writers, editors and artists of the Batman lore, focusing their dialogue on the darker, realistic interpretation of Batman’s origins by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli
· Audio Commentary with Alan Burnett, Sam Liu, Mike Carlin and Andrea Romano
· “Batman: Year One, Chapter 1” Digital Comic Book
· Two bonus episodes from “Batman: The Animated Series,” handpicked by Bruce Timm
· Standard and high definition versions of the feature film
· Digital copy on disc of the feature film compatible with iTunes and Windows
Trailer courtesy of MTV...
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