In 1993, DC Comics delivered a storyline for Batman that not only spread across both of his mainline comic book titles but which actually broke the character. Knightfall is known for a few things, the first being the introduction of Bane, the first real supervillain to fundamentally defeat Batman, not only by outsmarting him but by breaking his back in an iconic splash page. The storyline would also give the world Jean-Paul Valley aka Azrael, the character who took up the mantle of Batman while Bruce Wayne recovered and ignited an all-new corner of stories for DC.
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Though elements of these comics have been brought to life before, like in The Dark Knight Rises feature film or the Batman: Arkham video games, an actual proper adaptation of the entire storyline has never happened, until now. Warner Bros. Animation and DC previously confirmed that a three-film adaptation of Knightfall is happening, and have now confirmed when fans will be able to see the first of these movies. Batman: Knightfall Part 1: Knightfall will be released digitally on August 25, followed by a 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD release on September 8. Part 2 is set to arrive later this year, with Part 3 confirmed for early 2027.
Batman: Knightfall Part 1 Release Confirmed, Plus Exclusive Video
Even better than the first part of this new three-film adaptation, though – one that will clearly do the source material the justice that fans have been waiting on for decades – is that it’s not alone. The release will also include two behind-the-scenes featurettes, including: Batman Needs a Robin, including interviews from the filmmakers the vital role Robin plays in the Batman mythology (with an emphasis on Tim Drake), both in the Knightfall comic and the film; and Breaking the Bat: Adapting the Knightfall, an extensive look behind the scenes of the process it took to make this years-long comic publishing initiative into a series of films.
ComicBook has an exclusive look at the Breaking the Bat featurette, showing off the Azrael side of adapting the story. Featuring both footage from the film, storyboards about its development, a look at Pablo Schreiber actually voicing the character, and a reveal of which comic book art was the most influential, you can check it out below.
Batman: Knightfall Part 1: Knightfall will feature an all-star voice cast to bring the adaptation to life, with Anson Mount (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds) starring as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Michael Mando (Spider-Man: Brand New Day) as Bane, and Pablo Schreiber (Halo) as Jean-Paul Valley/Azrael.
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