The Batman TV show originally aired 50 years ago, but within that last several years, it's experienced a resurgence of popularity thanks to the series being released on Blu-ray/DVD and a comic book series (as well as several mini-series) hitting shelves starring the Adam West and Burt Ward-portrayed Batman and Robin. Then in just a couple days, this iteration of the Dynamic Duo will headline the animated movie, Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders. However, it's now official that a sequel has been green-lit, and Star Trek star William Shatner will play its lead villain, Two-Face.
Shatner's addition to Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders 2 was announced earlier today at New York City Comic-Con (via THR). No other details were provided about the sequel other than that it will be released sometime in 2017. Of course, almost everyone reading surely knows Shatner best as Captain James T. Kirk in the original Star Trek TV series, which aired during the same years as Batman. Shatner obviously had enough on his plate at the time, though I certainly would have liked to see Kirk and Leonard Nimoy's Spock pop their heads out during one of those recurring Batman "Celebrity Window" cameo gags.
Regardless, five decades later, William Shatner is now getting to play the scarred Harvey Dent in Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders 2. Wait, there's more! After the first movie was screened at NYCC, DC Comics provided a first-look at what Shatner's animated Two-Face will look like, along with a special message from the actor himself.
As you can see, not only is William Shatner voicing Two-Face, but his normal-looking side looks just like he did in his younger years. That's a clever move from the animators. Although the original Batman TV series featured many prominent members of the Caped Crusader's rogues gallery, Two-Face never made the cut. Harlan Ellison did pen a story featuring the duality-obsessed evildoer, but the episode never aired, supposedly because the character was considered to be too gruesome for children to see. However, Ellison's story, titled "The Two-Way Crimes of Two-Face," was adapted in 2014 as a one-shot comic book called Batman '66: The Lost Episode #1.
Bringing Two-Face to animation was the next best step forward, and seeing Adam West and Burt Ward's Dynamic Duo battle this incarnation of the villain should be fun to watch. Casting William Shatner is certainly an interesting choice, but at least we know he won't have any problem hamming up the role, which is crucial when it comes to the campy Batman world.
We'll keep you updated on all the major details surrounding this sequel as more news comes in, but for now, you can check out Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders on Digital HD starting October 11, and the Blu-ray/DVD release will follow on November 1. The movie will also be screened theatrically on October 10.
