SDCC: Batman: The Brave and the Bold Panel

July 25, 2008 on 1:57 pm | In Uncategorized |

The panel for DC’s new animated series, Batman: The Brave and the Bold today included panelists Sam Register (Producer and Executive Vice President of Warner Brothers), James Tucker (Supervising Producer), Michael Jelenic (Head Editor), Brandon Vietti (Director), Ben Jones (Director), Michael Chang (Director), Diedrich Bader (Batman), and Andrea Romano (Voice Director).

The panel began with some Q&A with the panelists with the host asking what makes this show such a standout. “Batman’s a dark, tortured, anguished character, and we decided not to do that!” said James Tucker, “He’s the batman you know from when you were a kid. Unless you were born in 1992.” Michael Chang followed up by saying, “Rarely are we going to see Batman in Gotham, though he is going to be there.”

The panel then showed a short teaser of Batman: The Brave and the Bold. The entire clip was only about two minutes long, but it showcased Batman, Blue Beetle, Plastic Man, and Green Arrow in a very Adam-West-Batman type of feel. From the music to the art style (Batman sports a dark blue batsuit as opposed to the traditional gray and black from Bruce Timm’s animated series.). There were a lot of vibrant colors, and we had a chance to see Blue Beetle powering up into his scarab armor. This trailer didn’t only showcase Batman, it was a showcase of many DC mainstay heroes and various villains. “Brave and the Bold allowed us to put Batman with anybody but Robin and put him in anyplace but Gotham,” remarked Sam Register. “We know how Batman reacts to Robin, how does Batman react to Red Tornado, how does Batman react to Plastic Man? … The two parter-he’s going to team up with someone really fan-friendly”

Fans shouldn’t worry too much about keeping it too kid-friendly. “We’re not making Batman a stand-up comic. It’s not that broad,” said Andrea Romano, “We get to see that they have a sense of humor.”

“I get to wake up every morning and say “I’m Batman” because in my household, I’m Alfred,” quipped Diedrich Bader on being the new voice of Batman, “It’s light, but it’s still in keeping with the spirit of Batman, and you know, it’s fun!” Other voice talent will include James Arnold Taylor as Green Arrow, Will Friedle as Blue Beetle, R. Lee Ermey as Wildcat, Tom Kenney as Plastic Man, and the ever popular John DiMaggio as Aquaman. It was also announced that Huntress, Black Canary, and Fire would be in the series, as well as perhaps the Justice Society! Some of the villains will include Gentleman Ghost, Gorilla Grodd, Kite Man, and Zebra Man. “The Penguin is played by Dick Cheney” quipped Bader. After the laughter quelled, Sam Register explained, “We wanted to expand Batman’s world so we wanted to stay away from the rogue’s gallery until special moments.”

When asked about the new merchandising, and specifically about Blue Beetle, Sam Register commented, “It’s basically if Spider-Man and Iron Man had a ninja baby.”

On using Adam West as possible voice talent in the future, producer James Tucker commented, “That’s a distinct possibility.” Andrea Romano elaborated, “I want to use him whenever he’s available or in town, and yes, I’d love to use him.”

A fan dressed like Batman came up to the microphone and asked what the age range of the show actually is in a very low Batman voice. “If we do our job correctly, you can watch this with your kids, and I don’t know if you have kids, Batman Two…” said Register, to which the duplicate caped crusader replied with a very staunch “No.” After the laughter quelled, Register continued, saying, “There’s a Batman movie in theaters, and I’m not going to take my kids to see it. … We want to make a Batman show that’s for everybody”

A child came up to the microphone and asked what the Batmobile can do. “This Batmobile’s different than most of the others. I kind of wanted it to be a James Bond car,” said James Tucker. “This Batmobile can do everything. It’s like a swiss army knife. It can change into the Batplane, and the Batboat, I think you’ll enjoy it.” To which the child said, “Sweet, thanks!”

Batman: The Brave and the Bold will premiere this fall on Cartoon Network, and has been signed for 26 episodes.