The comic book community is still reeling over the death of Adam West last Friday. As the 1960s TV Batman, West propelled the Caped Crusader to new levels of popularity, and decades later, his portrayal remains one of the most cherished versions of the character. West had several opportunities to reprise Batman in the years after the TV show's cancellation, and it's been confirmed that we'll hear him voice the Bright Knight one last time in a sequel to the 2016 animated movie Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders.
It was announced last year at New York City Comic-Con that Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders 2 was in the works, and 13th Dimension has confirmed that West completed recording before his passing. Like the first Caped Crusaders movie, the sequel will have West and Burt Ward returning to voice Batman and Robin, respectively, just like the good ol' days. So if you're a big fan of Adam West's Batman, you'll get to hear his tongue-in-cheek delivery as Gotham City's protector in another animated project.
No official plot details for Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders 2 have been disclosed yet, but the Dynamic Duo will be going up against Two-Face. The duality-obsessed deviant was supposed to appear in the Batman TV series in a story written by Harlan Ellison, but this "lost episode" was never made. Four decades later, Two-Face will finally debut in the campy Gotham City, and he'll be voiced by William Shatner, who co-starred with Adam West in the failed TV pilot Alexander the Great. Julie Newmar will also reprise Catwoman in the sequel.
Batman '66 has been experience a resurgence in recent years which Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders only strengthened. Along with the TV series being released on DVD and Blu-ray in late 2014, there was an ongoing comic book series that ran from 2013-2016. Batman '66 has also shared comic book crossovers with properties like The Green Hornet (which happened before in the TV series), The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Avengers (the British agents, not the Marvel superheroes) and Lynda Carter's Wonder Woman from the 1970s. Outside from the Batman TV series, Adam West also lent his talents to DC fare like Robot Chicken DC Comics Special III: Magical Friendship, The Batman, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham and Powerless.
Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders 2 doesn't have an official release date yet, but it's expected to come out either before 2017 is finished or sometime in 2018. In the meantime, you can always re-watch its predecessor or the original TV series (and the 1966 movie) if you want to enjoy Adam West's Batman to your heart's content.
