DC Studios recently added a brand new Batman animated TV series to its schedule, and it may be exactly what the studio needs. Between The Batman: Part 2 and The Brave and the Bold for the big screen, an animated Batman: Knightfall trilogy set for digital release, and Batman: Caped Crusader Season 2 coming soon to Amazon Prime Video, DC Studios is going all-in on the Dark Knight. Recently, the studio added another project to its plans at the Annecy Film Festival, where it was announced that Absolute Batman is getting an animated show.
In many ways, Absolute Batman has the potential to be DC Studios' answer to Amazon Prime Video's Invincible. It is similarly expected to be a rare, truly faithful adaptation of an ongoing comic run developed by its original creator, helping to successfully reenact the highly acclaimed narrative for a new medium.
Notably, Absolute Batman writer Scott Snyder will serve as showrunner and executive producer on the animated adaptation, just as Invincible creator Robert Kirkman has for four seasons and counting. But Snyder won't be the first DC Comics writer to showrun an adaptation of his work, as Tom King will carry the same duties on Mister Miracle, a DCU series based on his New Gods-focused run.
The DC Studios series will adapt Snyder's comic run, which began in 2024 as part of the alternate Absolute universe, presenting fresh takes on famous faces. This Bruce Wayne grew up with no family fortune and instead got his start from poverty on Gotham's Crime Alley, and his villains are even more monstrous and twisted.
During Absolute Batman's announcement at Annecy Festival, Warner Bros. Animation President Sam Register confirmed that the project is in the "very early stages of development" and that it will be a "full CG show:"
"We could not be more excited about this. We are in very early stages of development on this with executive producer and writer Scott Snyder and the artist Nick Dragotta. It is a full CG show… It’s going to be a whole different tone and a whole different take again on Batman as well."
The studio showcased early previzualization artwork from Absolute Batman, including a 360-degree model of the Dark Knight created by Stellar Creative Labs (Marvel's What If...?), although it's unclear if they will lead animation for the show.
Regardless, that confirms at least one major difference between Invincible and Absolute Batman, as the Amazon Prime Video adaptation stuck to 2D animation in a comic-like style, while the DC series is going its own way with a CG aesthetic.
While some will be concerned that CG animation may tarnish Absolute Batman, fans should take comfort in the fact that artist Nick Dragotta will produce the DC Studios version, which should ensure it maintains the comics' visual essence.
When Will DC's Absolute Batman Animated Show Premiere?
Amazon Prime Video launched Invincible several years after its 144-issue comic concluded, and four seasons have still only taken it up to #78. By contrast, Absolute Batman is currently only on #21 with no sign of slowing down after two years, leaving DC Studios a limited amount of storyline to animate.
Sam Register made it clear that Absolute Batman is in the "very early stages" of development, meaning DC Studios should have much more material to work with before the series premieres. If Absolute Batman follows a similar development schedule to other CG-animated shows, it may be ready in as little as two years, possibly premiering on HBO Max around 2028/29.
By that time, Absolute Batman should have twice as many issues released, leaving plenty of material to keep animation work going for future seasons. So far, Invincible is averaging just under 20 issues in each season, which would be perfect for Absolute Batman to keep up a bi-annual release schedule.
While a "fully CG" animation style won't be everybody's first choice, it was likely chosen because it is faster and cheaper than 2D shows like Creature Commandos, which will have taken almost three years to bring back for Season 2.
While Absolute Batman has become the biggest hit of the alternate DC universe, there are also ongoing runs for Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, and Green Lantern, with mini-series for Green Arrow, Catwoman, and Martian Manhunter, while Cassandra Cain is getting her own one-shot this September.
If DC Studios finds as much success with Absolute Batman as Prime Video has with Invincible, one has to wonder whether its comrades, namely Absolute Superman and Absolute Wonder Woman, could get the same treatment. After all, James Gunn promised years ago to "[get] Wonder Woman into more animation," and perhaps her Absolute tale may be the perfect path for that.
