The first season of Batman: Caped Crusader is now out into the world, delighting Prime Video subscribers with its dark and gritty take on the DC mythos. The series is brought to life by creators such as Matt Reeves, J.J. Abrams, and Bruce Timm — and it just so happens to bring one of the latter’s scrapped ideas from Batman: The Animated Series to life. Spoilers for the first season of Batman: Caped Crusader lurk below! Only look if you want to know! “Nocturne”, the eighth episode of Caped Crusader‘s first season, sees Bruce Wayne / Batman (Hamish Linklater) investigating the disappearances of various orphans at a local carnival, only to discover that the culprit is a young energy vampire named Nocturna (McKenna Grace). There were previous plans to introduce the character of Nocturna — portrayed at that point in the comics as a human socialite with vampiric features — as an actual vampire. Producer Bruce Timm even created a sketch for the character, only for the concept to be vetoed by WB Kids, who were adamant about not including vampires and blood in their shows.
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“We also wanted to do a Nocturna story,” Batman: The Animated Series writer and producer Alan Burnett told The World’s Finest in a previous interview. “Bruce had drawn a hot model of her – but she’s a vampire, which would’ve involved bloodletting, which was a huge no-no for kids TV.”
That ban from Batman: The Animated Series ultimately had a larger impact on the media world, as subsequent comics involving Nocturna borrowed elements from Timm’s redesign, as did her live-action debut on The CW’s Batwoman series. While Caped Crusader‘s version of Nocturna is a bit different from Timm’s original pitch, instead skewing much younger and evoking Wednesday Addams, it still brings the general concept to life in a new context.
Is Batman: Caped Crusader Renewed for Season 2?
It was already confirmed that Caped Crusader has earned a two-season order from Prime Video, after moving to the platform following a cancellation from Max. Season 2 does not have a confirmed release date.
“Batman: The Animated Series helped pioneer in the evolution of superhero storytelling and defined the Dark Knight for a generation,” said Vernon Sanders, head of television, Amazon and MGM Studios. “Batman: Caped Crusader will no doubt continue that tradition and, alongside Merry Little Batman and Bat-Family, we’re thrilled to collaborate with Warner Bros. Animation to offer a variety of takes of the Batman mythos to our global Prime Video customers.”
What Is Batman: Caped Crusader About?
In Batman: Caped Crusader, welcome to Gotham City, where the corrupt outnumber the good, criminals run rampant and law-abiding citizens live in a constant state of fear. Forged in the fire of tragedy, wealthy socialite Bruce Wayne (Hamish Linklater) becomes something both more and less than human—the BATMAN. His one-man crusade for justice attracts unexpected allies within the GCPD and City Hall, but his heroic actions spawn deadly, unforeseen ramifications. The cast of Batman: Caped Crusader also includes Christina Ricci, Jamie Chung, Diedrich Bader, Minnie Driver, Eric Morgan Stuart, Michelle C. Bonilla, Krystal Joy Brown, John DiMaggio, Mckenna Grace, Jason Watkins, Paul Scheer, Reid Scott, Gary Anthony Williams, Dan Donohue, David Krumholtz, and Haley Joel Osment.
The series is a reimagining of the Batman mythology through the visionary lens of executive producers J.J. Abrams, Matt Reeves and Bruce Timm. Based on DC characters, Batman: Caped Crusader hails from Warner Bros. Animation, Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions and Reeves’ 6th & Idaho. Along with Abrams, Reeves and Timm, Batman: Caped Crusader executive producers include Ed Brubaker, James Tucker, Daniel Pipski, Rachel Rusch Rich, and Sam Register.
The first season of Batman: Caped Crusader is now streaming exclusively on Prime Video. Season 2 is confirmed, and will debut on the platform at a later date.
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Image Courtesy of HBO
