The first R-rated DC Studios movie trilogy has released new footage. DC Studios is rapidly expanding its slate of projects across television, live-action films, and animation, and the next major animated film release is Batman: Knightfall. Based on the iconic 1993-1994 comic arc, Batman: Knightfall will be broken up into a trilogy of animated films, with the first releasing later in 2026.
During the 2026 Annecy International Animation Festival, Warner Bros. Animation and DC Studios revealed the first trailer for Batman: Knightfall: Part 1: Knightfall. This came shortly after the debut of the first poster for Batman: Knightfall, which confirmed that the animated film would be rated R (presumably across all three films in the trilogy).
The first footage of Batman: Knightfall: Part 1: Knightfall promises another solid installment from DC animation. The trailer hints at where the trilogy may earn its R-Rating, with Batman shown beating enemies to a bloody pulp, suggesting there may be more violent and graphic sequences to come in the full film.
The plot of Batman: Knightfall sees the Dark Knight pushed to his limit after a new enemy known as Bane frees the Rogues Gallery from Arkham Asylum, unleashing the likes of the Joker, Riddler, and Two-Face onto Gotham City all at once. After Bane famously breaks Batman's back, leaving him crippled, he is replaced by a new apprentice, Azrael, whose violent and brutal tendencies put a stain on Batman's name.
While it's unclear how Batman: Knightfall will split up the story of the comic arc across its trilogy, the first part hints at those early days with Batman fighting to subdue the Rogues Gallery, as well as his first encounter with Bane. Nevertheless, the R-Rating marks the first time DC Studios has produced a trilogy of films with a rating this mature, although it's not the first time the studio has dabbled in more adult content.
Batman: Knightfall: Part 1: Knightfall is directed by Jeff Wamester and written by Jeremy Adams. It features Anson Mount as the voice of Bruce Wayne/Batman, Michael Mando as Bane, and Pablo Schreiber as Azrael. The trailer can be viewed below:
Other R-Rated Film and TV Projects From DC Studios
Joker Folie à Deux
Joker Folie à Deux was one of the first projects DC Studios inherited after the restructuring, and Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga's Joker sequel was quickly dubbed an Elseworlds project. The follow-up to the Oscar-winning movie continued Arthur Fleck's story in Arkham Asylum, where he meets the alluring Harleen Quinzel. The film received an R-Rating upon release, largely for its violence and profanity, in keeping with the first film.
Creature Commandos
Creature Commandos was DC Studios' first official release in the new DCU. Created and written by DC Studios co-head James Gunn, Creature Commandos is an adult animated superhero series focusing on a group of misfit monsters undertaking jobs for ARGUS. Task Force M's lineup includes the likes of Rick Flag Sr., the Bride of Frankenstein, Eric Frankenstein, Doctor Phosphorous, G.I. Robot, and Weasel.
The series earned a TV-MA rating (the equivalent of an R-Rating for film) largely due to its strong violence and gore, and moderate profanity and sexual scenes/nudity. Creature Commandos will soon continue the trend in its second season.
Peacemaker
Peacemaker is one of the few DCEU projects to survive the reboot, with John Cena's The Suicide Squad hero helping bridge the gap between the old universe and the new DCU. Peacemaker follows Christopher Smith in the aftermath of the DCEU film as he joins a new team for ARGUS and helps them protect Earth and come to terms with what it means to be a hero.
The series, like The Suicide Squad, earned the highest possible mature rating and doesn't hold back on violence, language, or adult themes.
Clayface
Clayface will continue to push the DCU into darker, more mature territory thanks to its foray into body horror. The DC spin-off movie focuses on the shapeshifting Rogues Gallery villain Clayface, in a twisted origin story that sees the actor, Matt Hagen, undergo an experimental treatment that turns him into a being of clay.
Ahead of its October release, Clayface has been rated R for what is expected to be extreme, gruesome body horror, some of which was already evident in the first teaser trailer.
Mister Miracle
Another animated series expected to push the boundaries of the DCU is Mister Miracle. Like Creature Commandos, Mister Miracle is an adult-oriented series that is expected to receive a TV-MA rating. The series, from comic writer and showrunner Tom King, follows Scott Free, the escape artist known as Mister Miracle, whose life is torn apart after his homeworld, Apocalypse, and his wife's homeworld, New Genesis, go to war.
It's expected that the dark themes and possible graphic violence in Mister Miracle may lead to an adult rating, as the series explores harrowing war and slaughter.
Harley Quinn
The adult animated superhero comedy series Harley Quinn has become well-known for its crude humor, profanity, and gleeful violence, earning it a TV-MA rating across its five seasons. The last season, released in 2025, was under the new DC Studios banner, marking it as another of the studio's projects to dip into the R-rated side.
The series follows notorious DC villains Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy as they attempt to make a name for themselves and come across a variety of hilarious animated takes on villains and heroes.
