If you were to ask me, 2019 is shaping up to be one heck of a year for DC animation. Already, we’ve been impressed by Reign of the Supermen, and if that weren’t enough, Justice League vs. The Fatal Five drops in April, with the long awaited Batman: Hush adaptation also set to arrive sometime this summer. Wonder Woman: Bloodlines, meanwhile, is scheduled for release in the fall, but I wouldn’t doubt if that gets pushed to 2020 so that it can coincide with Wonder Woman 1984‘s theatrical debut.
Much to my delight, a fifth offering has just been announced, that being Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. If you’ll recall, we stated in an exclusive that Warner Bros. had been considering such a movie back in October of 2016. Better late than never, I guess.
Should you have any doubt over the quality of this project, let it be known that your fears can be put to bed because the Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book miniseries penned by James Tynion IV and illustrated by Freddie Williams II is what this flick is based on. Having read it myself, I can say every character was perfectly written, not to mention the narrative itself being top notch as well. A sequel was published more recently, so it wouldn’t be crazy to assume that could be adapted if this animated movie proves successful enough.
As for the cast, quite the group has been assembled. Here’s a rundown courtesy of SyFy Wire:
The film’s voice cast features Troy Baker (The Last of Us, Batman: Arkham Origins) as both Batman and The Joker (making him the first actor to ever take on both roles in one project), Darren Criss (the Emmy winning star of The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story) as Raphael, Kyle Mooney (Saturday Night Live) as Michelangelo, Baron Vaughn (Grace and Frankie) as Donatello, Eric Bauza (The Woody Woodpecker Show) as Leonardo, Rachel Bloom (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) as Batgirl, Tom Kenny (Spongebob Squarepants) as The Penguin, John DiMaggio (Adventure Time) as Mr. Freeze, Tara Strong (The Powerpuff Girls) as both Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy, Carlos Alazraqui (Reno 911!) as Bane, and Cas Anvar (The Expanse) as Ra’s al Ghul.
Right now, Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles hasn’t been given a concrete release date, but it’s said to arrive on Blu-ray, 4K UHD and Digital this spring. Considering that the aforementioned Justice League vs. The Fatal Five hits shelves in April, smart money says this historic mashup will likely come in May – much like how Batman Ninja did last year.