In addition to its output of live-action movies, DC Comics continues to release a steady supply of direct-to-video animated movies. Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One is the latest of this bunch, and Part Two will follow next week. Following that, the next installment in the DC Universe Animated Original Movies line will be an adaptation of the popular Injustice: Gods Among Us video game, and it’s been announced that a Smallville alum, Star Trek: Discovery star and many more will comprise the animated feature’s main cast.
Justin Hartley, who played Green Arrow on Smallville and currently stars as Kevin Pearson on This Is Us, will voice Superman in the animated Injustice movie, while Anson Mount, who starred as Black Bolt in the short-lived Inhumans series and appeared in Star Trek: Discovery as Christopher Pike (who he’s reprising for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds) will voice Batman. Like in the original video game, Injustice is set in a version of the DC universe where Superman goes rogue and takes control of Earth after he was tricked by The Joker into killing Lois Lane and destroying Metropolis. With the Man of Steel collecting a group of loyal followers to enforce his will, Batman recruits his own allies to help him resist Superman’s tyrannical regime.
Per THR, Injustice’s voice cast also includes Laura Bailey as Lois Lane and Rama Kushna, Zach Callison as Damian and Jimmy Olsen, Brian T. Delaney as Green Lantern, Brandon Michael Hall as Cyborg, Edwin Hodge as Mr. Terrific and Killer Croc, Oliver Hudson as Plastic Man, Gillian Jacobs as Harley Quinn, Yuri Lowenthal as Mirror Master, Flash and Shazam, Derek Phillips as Nightwing and Aquaman, Kevin Pollak as Joker and Jonathan Kent, Anika Noni Rose as Catwoman, Reid Scott as Green Arrow and Victor Zsasz, Faran Tahir as Ra’s al Ghul, Fred Tatasciore as Captain Atom, Janet Varney as Wonder Woman, and Andrew Morgado as Mirror Master Soldier. Matt Peters, who directed the Justice League Dark animated movie, helmed in Injustice off a script written by Batman: Hush’s Ernie Altbacker.
Released in 2013, Injustice: Gods Among Us was created by NeatherRealm Studios, the same company behind the Mortal Kombat games. The fighting game, which was launched on both consoles and mobile platforms, was met with a lot of positive reception and spawned Injustice 2, which was released in 2016. There was also an Injustice: Gods Among Us comic book series published by DC Comics from 2013 to 2016 that was set in the five years leading up to the game’s main events. That was then followed by Injustice 2’s own comic book series, which was set between the first two games.
Given all the source material to work with, this animated Injustice movie could easily be the first of a new film series to accompany the shared continuity that launched last year with Superman: Man of Tomorrow. For now though, this looks like this will be a standalone offering, and it’ll be interesting to see how the movie differentiates itself from the video game. For instance, I’m curious if, like in the video game, heroes from an alternate DC universe are pulled into the Injustice reality to aid Batman’s insurgency, or if this adaptation will solely rely on characters who live in the Injustice universe.
In any case, Injustice is expected to arrive this fall. While you’re here, feel free to explore a now-concluded era of DC animation by looking through our DC Animated Movie Universe timeline.
