Batman: Death in the Family Blu-ray Allows Viewers to Guide the Story

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and DC Comics have taken the wraps off the next DC Universe movie: DC Showcase – Batman: Death in the Family. It’s based on the 1988 comic book event of the same name, which featured a fan call-in to decide Jason Todd’s (Robin’s) fate. It also serves as a prequel of sorts to Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010). The new adaptation is very much in the spirit of the ’88 version with an interactive component on the Blu-ray that allows the viewer to guide the story using their remote control. This sort of feature is something that might be familiar to Netflix users, but it’s a first for Warner Bros’ DC films.

The Batman: Death in the Family Blu-ray will also include four previously released animated shorts – Sgt. Rock, Adam Strange, Death, and The Phantom Stranger. The Blu-ray features a disc with all of the shorts in HD, including the fully-interactive, extended-length Batman: Death in the Family plus a digital version of the four other 2019-2020 DC Showcase shorts. Note that the Digital version of this release features the Batman: Death in the Family extended-length short in a non-interactive format entitled Under the Red Hood: Reloaded, Jason Todd’s Rebellion, Robin’s Revenge and Red Hood’s Reckoning. The Blu-ray also offers around five minutes of additional content within the Batman: Death in the Family interactive story that is not included in the Digital version.

Pre-orders for DC Showcase – Batman: Death in the Family Blu-ray are available here on Amazon for $24.98 with a release date set for October 13th. Keep in mind that you won’t be charged until it ships and you’ll automatically get any discounts that occur during the pre-order period. Pre-orders are also live here at Walmart for the same price. Official details regarding the story and interactive elements can be found below – including a trailer.

“Produced, directed and written by Brandon Vietti, Batman: Death in the Family offers an inventive take on the long-demanded story. In the new animated presentation, the infamous murder of Batman protégé Jason Todd will be undone, and the destinies of Batman, Robin and The Joker will play out in shocking new ways as viewers make multiple choices to control the story. And while Batman: Under the Red Hood provides a baseline, the story also branches in new directions and features several characters previously unseen in the original film. Bruce Greenwood (The Resident, Star Trek, iRobot), Vincent Martella (Phineas and Ferb) and John DiMaggio (Futurama, Adventure Time) reprise their Batman: Under The Red Hood roles of Batman, young Jason Todd and The Joker, respectively. Other featured voices are Zehra Fazal (Young Justice) as Talia al Ghul and Gary Cole (Veep) as Two-Face and James Gordon.

The interactive Blu-ray presentation offers many different ways for viewers to tell the Batman: Death in the Family story, with numerous twists and turns in the middle, and several possible endings. The choices along the way put greater weight on the viewers’ decisions and result in even stronger stories. Viewers can also choose to allow the story to tell itself, as there is an option to let the Blu-ray decide its own path.

Packed with Easter Eggs, the centerpiece short’s story – with its foundation grounded in the original “Batman: A Death in the Family” comic run, and the acclaimed Batman: Under the Red Hood animated film – balances a number of integral themes within its entertainment, including fatherhood, mental health, death, rebirth, revenge and redemption. Along the route, viewers encounter new, surprising looks at some classic DC characters.”

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