Batman: Gotham Knight trailer

Kevin Conroy Voices Batman in Animated Direct-to-DVD Anthology

May 22, 2008
Dominic von Riedemann

Batman: Gotham Knight DVD cover - copyright 2008 Warner Home Video

Check out the teaser trailer for Batman: Gotham Knight, the six-part animated DVD from Warner Home Video. DVD hits shelves on July 8th.

The trailer (and what Warner Home Video likes to call the "sizzle reel") for Batman: Gotham Knight has hit the Interweb, and it ain't half bad.

As befits a teaser trailer, there's not a lot of content for this thing: it pretty much shows Batman (voiced by Kevin Conroy) silhouetted against the Gotham skyline (dark and rainy, natch), plus various stylized fast cuts of him taking on various villains from the DC canon including The Scarecrow, Man-Bat, Killer Croc and Dead Shot.

The trailer definitely looks good, and it's kinda cool to see Batman in anime form. Anime's profile is getting higher in North America, and if Batman: Gotham Knight does well, look to see more anime images of The Dark Knight in future direct-to-DVD's. The six-part anthology is rated PG-13 and accompanied by a warning about stylized violence and bloody images.

Anime Directors, Hollywood Writers Team Up for Batman: Gotham Knight

As I may have mentioned before, Batman: Gotham Knight attempts to bridge the gap between the events of 2005's Batman Begins and the upcoming The Dark Knight. Perhaps they'll even explain why the character of Rachel Dawes looks like Katey Holmes in the first flick, and Maggie Gyllenhaal in the second?

Once again, here are the director/writer matchups for the six segments within Batman: Gotham Knight.

Yasuhiro Aoki (key animator for Mind Game) teams up with writer David S. Goyer (Batman Begins) for the segment "In Darkness Dwells." Batman must take on both Killer Croc and The Scarecrow's hallucinogenic gas.
Futoshi Higashide (who helped animate Jaianto robo: Animeshon) joins Greg Rucka (Queen and Country) for "Crossfire." It delves into the Gotham City Police's evolving relationship with Batman while he takes on the Mob.
Jaianto robo: Animeshon animation director Toshiyuki Kubooka works with writer Brian Azzarello (100 Bullets) for "Working Through Pain." This segment delves into Batman's early training, as he meets Cassandra (Parminder Nagra), an Indian mystic who helps him built up his physical and mental strength in order to more effectively fight crime.
Hiroshi Morioka (Tsubasa Chronicle) joins The Prestige producer Jordan Goldberg on "Field Test." It goes into Batman's impressive armory, and shows the lines he won't cross in his pursuit of justice.
Shoujirou Nishimi (another key animator on Mind Game) works with Josh Olson (A History of Violence) on the segment "Have I Got a Story For You." The segment features six kids who have chance meetings with Batman, and gain very different impressions of the mysterious superhero.
Yoshiaki Kawajiri (Vampire Hunter D) hooks up with Alan Burnett (Batman: TAS) for "Deadshot." This final segment ties together all the previous storylines as Batman must take on the millionaire playboy who likes to hunt the ultimate prey.

You can check out the trailer by sliding over to the Warner Home Video website. Batman: Gotham Knight hits shelves on July 8th, 10 days before The Dark Knight enters theatres.