Whenever San Diego Comic-Con rolls around each July, one of the panels I look forward to most is that of the one put on by those who put together the wonderful line of DC animated movies. Not only do they premiere their next film that’s set to arrive in stores, but they also tend to announce the following year’s slate. Needless to say, they didn’t disappoint this year, as they confirmed the releases of what are sure to be several greats, chief among them Death of Superman.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, and instead talk about the next batch of flicks in the order they’ll be chronologically released.
First, there’s Batman: Gotham by Gaslight, which we actually learned about not long ago thanks to the back cover to the Batman and Harley Quinn Blu-ray leaking online. In short, it’ll follow a Dark Knight who existed back in the 1800’s and hunted down Jack the Ripper. Based on the story that kicked off the “Elseworlds” line of books, this has no doubt been on the wishlist of many DC fans, the filmmakers included.
Next up will be Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay, an original story featuring Task Force X. While it remains unclear what the plot will entail, we fully expect the film to reflect the current lineup found in the comics and recent live action motion picture. Thus, we’re thinking there’ll be a generous amount of inspiration taken from the New 52 and Rebirth – and for Harley Quinn to play a prominent role due to her white hot popularity.
Finally, there’s the aforementioned Death of Superman. Yes, this has been adapted before as Superman: Doomsday, the very first in the long line of DC Universe animated movies. But despite it remaining among the highest selling, there were some fans very vocal about wanting a more faithful, less condensed translation.
Well, if you counted yourself among that lot, you’ll get your wish, as the saga will be split into two movies, with Reign of the Supermen coming in early 2019. Thus, we can expect to see the likes of Cyborg Superman, the Eradicator, Superboy and Steel down the line. Seriously, how cool is that?
This isn’t the first time Warner Home Video has done this, having already split The Dark Knight Returns into two movies several years ago, eventually releasing a deluxe edition with both being cut as one seamless experience. Having said that, we wouldn’t doubt if the powers that be one day go that route with this project.
So, with Death of Superman now continuing the two-film approach, let’s cross our fingers hoping the door is open for more expansive arcs to get the animated treatment, like Batman: The Long Halloween or Batman: Hush.