Warner Bros. Announces Release Date and Bonus Features for Ninja Batman!
Daniel Mills
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The Ninja Batman trailer was something to behold. While many are on the fence about the animation, the art style and direction is out of this world. Not to mention the premise, which is just plain awesome. So fans are fairly excited for this one. Luckily, Warner Bros. Japan and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment have announced a release date for Ninja Batman!
First the studio announces the date, with more basic information about the film.
THE DARK KNIGHT IN EYE-POPPING ANIME!
BATMAN NINJA
WARNER BROS. HOME ENTERTAINMENT,
DC ENTERTAINMENT AND
WARNER BROS. JAPAN REIMAGINE
THE CAPED CRUSADER IN FULL-BLOWN ANIME STYLE
COMING MAY 8, 2018 TO
BLU-RAY™ STEELBOOK,
BLU-RAY™ COMBO PACK AND DVD
BURBANK, CA (February 13, 2018) – Prepare to witness the Dark Knight, alongside many of his most famed allies and infamous foes, in an eye-popping anime display you’ve never seen before when Warner Bros. Japan, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment present Batman Ninja. The all-new, feature-length animated film arrives on Digital starting April 24, 2018, and Blu-ray™ Steelbook ($29.98 SRP), Blu-ray™ Combo Pack ($24.98 SRP) and DVD ($19.98 SRP) on May 8, 2018. Order due date is April 3, 2018.
The film will be available in 4K UHD for Digital only in a release planned for Summer 2018.
Batman Ninja is rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, and for some suggestive material.
Sounds like fans will only have to wait a few months to get their hands on one of the most anticipated Batman animated films ever!
But that wasn’t all of the information Warner Bros. had to share. You might recall that the first trailer released for the film was in Japanese. Now the full English-language cast has been announced for the film!
A Mix of Old and New Names
The English language cast of the film is filled with exciting names, a mix of both DC veterans and new talent.
Roger Craig Smith (Batman: Arkham Origins) and Tony Hale (Veep, Arrested Development) lead an impressive cast as the voices of Batman and the Joker, respectively. Grey Griffin (Scooby-Doo franchise) and Tara Strong (Batman: The Killing Joke) supply the voices of the antagonist & protagonist’s closest allies – Catwoman and Harley Quinn, respectively – while Fred Tatasciore (Family Guy) provides the gruff-yet-sophisticated tones of Gorilla Grodd, a villain who must team with Batman to achieve his own personal agenda. Other voice actors include Bat-family members Yuri Lowenthal (Ben 10: Omniverse) as Robin, Adam Croasdell (Reign) as Nightwing and Alfred, and Will Friedle (Boy Meets World) as Red Robin, and the Rogue’s gallery also features Tom Kenny (SpongeBob SquarePants) as Penguin and Eric Bauza (The Adventures of Puss in Boots) as Two-Face. Doing double duty is Tatasciore as Deathstroke, Strong as Poison Ivy, and Friedle as Red Hood.
Tara Strong and Roger Craig Smith are some of DC’s greatest voice actors. But Tony Hale as the Joker? That’s an intriguing choice. Hale is famous for playing Gary on Veep and most importantly Buster Bluth on Arrested Development. Hale is the 2nd comedic actor to take a stab at voicing the Joker, after Zach Galifianakis voiced the Joker in The Lego Batman Movie.
This cast joins an already stellar production crew. Promising a movie where the only premise is a “Ninja Batman” is kind of a big deal. Luckily, they found some star talent to bring it all to life.
Legends of Japanese Animation
The visually stunning Batman Ninja is the creative result of a trio of anime’s finest filmmakers: director Jumpei Mizusaki (Opening animation of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure), writer Kazuki Nakashima (Gurren Lagann), and character designer Takashi Okazaki (Afro Samurai) produced the original movie with Warner Bros. Japan. The script was then reinterpreted and rewritten for English-language distribution by award-winning screenwriters Leo Chu and Eric Garcia (Supah Ninjas, Afro Samurai). Benjamin Melniker and Michael Uslan are Executive Producers.
The studio also announced what special features would be joining the Blu-ray Steel Book.
“East / West Batman” (Featurette) – Batman meets the anime medium, as this documentary looks into some of the Western tropes and archetypes, meshed into the world of feudal Japan. East meets West, swords, samurai and giant robots, all playing into the clash between Batman and his Rogues gallery.
“Batman: Made in Japan” (Featurette) – To make a special film about Batman requires just the right artist to bring the mix of style and energy that is unmistakably anime. The filmmakers discuss the Japanese character models, influences and design that create a fusion experience into this hyper real world.
“New York Comic Con Presents Batman Ninja“ – Meet the talented filmmakers behind Batman Ninja as they discuss their inspirations and challenges in bringing an anime version of Batman to life during a panel discussion unveiling Batman Ninja during New York Comic Con 2017.
Fans who can’t wait for the May 8th release of the Blu-ray can find the digital copy available on April 24th. Considering the fact that Batman is holding a katana, wearing Samurai armor, and is trapped in Feudal Japan fans will want to get their hands on the film as soon as possible.
Here’s the English Language trailer featuring Roger Craig Smith and Tony Hale:
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