Who would’ve ever imagined that 50 years after the premiere of Batman, the wonderful television series starring Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin, that West and Ward would still be playing the dynamic duo? In the DC Animated Film Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders, West and Ward reprise their roles alongside Julie Newmar, who played Catwoman on the series, in an animated film that pays tribute to the outlandish TV series that ran from 1966 to 1968. The film premiered at New York Comic-Con, but before the big premiere Movie Buzzers had the honor of attending an interview session with director Rick Morales, writers/producers Michael Jelenic and James Tucker, and, best of all, the Caped Crusader himself — Adam West.
Morales, Jelenic, and Tucker stressed how enthusiastic they were to work on the project — as veterans of DC Animation, they were all filled with ideas on how to pay tribute to the fan-favorite series. They also pointed out that it’s not an exact version of the 1960s series. For example, although the movie features the Joker, the Penguin, and the Riddler in addition to Catwoman that they did not want to try to recreate the performances of actors who have since passed.
Obviously, West was the most popular interviewee, and I managed to get a question in to him. Seeing how popular he is still is for being Batman, I asked him, “Why do you think after fifty years your version of Batman still resonates with so many people?”
“Because I’m so damn good at it,” West joked. He then continued, “I think because we played it for the whole family spectrum. The kids would enjoy the excitement and the adults would laugh because it was a comedy. Even when we delivered those homilies and little ethical lessons like good dental hygiene, the adults thought, ‘That’s pretty good that our kids are listening to that!’ The kids took it seriously.”
One of the main questions from everyone in attendance was whether or not this was a one-off movie or if plans for more films were in the works. All of the creators dodged the question, and West even joked, “You’re asking me about the thing I’m not supposed to talk about!” As it turns out, that night at the premiere of the movie it was announced that a sequel is in the works and will feature none other than William Shatner voicing Two-Face, a villain who never appeared on the 1960s series.
Batman: The Return of the Caped Crusaders will have a one-night-only theatrical engagement tomorrow, October 10. The movie will be released digitally on October 11 and then on DVD and Blu-ray on November 1, 2016.
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