Batman: Hush, the animated movie adaption of the fan-favorite story from Batman issues #608-619, is currently available on Digital Download and DVD/Blu-Ray. This official clip showcases Catwoman, voiced by Jennifer Morrison on Once Upon A Time fame.
Batman: Hush is part of the ongoing DC Animated Universe and will start streaming next week on DC Universe.
Morrison joins the regular DCAU cast of Jason O’Mara as Batman/Bruce Wayne, Jerry O’Connell as Clark Kent/Superman, and Rebecca Romijn as Lois Lane.
Batman: Hush is the latest story to be adapted into the DC Animated Movie Universe. You can check out a clip below that shows Batman rumbling with a possessed Superman.
Hush was a story by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee that originally appeared in Batman #608-619. It brought a classic Batman villain to the limelight and featured one of the few in-continuity confrontations between Batman and Superman.
Like most movies in the DCAMU, it features Jason O’Mara as Batman/Bruce Wayne, Jerry O’Connell as Superman/Clarke Kent, and Rebecca Romijn as Lois Lane. Jennifer Morrison of Once Upon A Time and Housejoins the cast as Catwoman/Selina Kyle. It is available in stores, and on the DC Universe streaming service.
One of the longest tenured voices in DC animation is at last going to step in front of cameras to reprise the role.
Kevin Conroy, who first began providing the voice of Bruce Wayne/Batman in 1992 for Batman: The Animated Series, will be portraying Bruce Wayne in CW’s hotly-anticipated Crisis On Infinite Earths crossover event. This marks the first time Conroy will play the character in a live-action production.
Conroy is no stranger to onscreen acting, having had roles on various TV shows throughout the years including Tour Of Duty and Murphy Brown.
The five-part series includes an already staggering list of actors who will undoubtedly play variations on their characters from different universes (or Earths as they are called in the series). That list includes Tyler Hoechlin (Superman), Burt Ward (Robin in the 1966 Batman TV series), Brandon Routh (The Atom AND Superman), Jon Cryer (Lex Luthor), Elizabeth Tolluch (Lois Lane), as well as the regular casts from the ongoing “Arrowverse” shows.
While it has only been announced that Conroy will be Bruce Wayne, it’s hard to imagine a Bruce Wayne that doesn’t come with a Batman attached. Could we see Bruce from Batman Beyond? Dark Knight Returns? Or could we see even see a Kingdom Come counterpart to Brandon Routh’s Superman?
Batman and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Two franchises that have been around for decades and seen countless variations reach amazing levels of mainstream success. A meeting of the two seems like a natural step doesn’t it?
That’s just what happened in late 2015 when IDW joined forces with DC Comics to present the first official pairing. Two more crossovers followed, as well as an animated movie adaption.
I’ll still give a mild spoiler warning. I won’t give away massive plot points, but if you want to be completely spoiler-free read the comic and watch the video first.
Limited Series/Hardcover Adaption
Hardcover collection of the first series
Originally published as a six-issue crossover, Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles saw the Turtles brought into the DC Comics world. Ever since DC vs. Marvel, it seems every crossover has to be done with the premise of one side coming from a different world.
Veteran Batman writer James Tyrion IV handles the story, with Freddie Williams II doing the artwork. The pairing absolutely works. Batman looks just as he always has, while the Turtles still manage to have the classic Mirage Studios look without feeling out of place next to The Dark Knight.
The premise is simple. Krang sent The Turtles, along with Shredder and his Foot Clan minions, to another world so he could be evil without their interference. See, in this incarnation, Shredder and Krang aren’t besties so they’re prone to sabotaging each other’s plans.
The rest of the story, for the most part, can easily be figured out. The two groups of heroes do not initially trust each other but learn to respect one another when push comes to shove. The interaction between Batman and Raphael is particularly good, given Raph is the hothead of his family and Bats has a history of dealing with hotheaded teenagers.
The Blu-ray adapts the first mini-series. However, the subplot of alternate worlds is left out, probably for simplicity’s sake. There are also characters in the comic that do not appear in the comic and vice versa. Plus the ending is completely different as it takes place at an Ace Chemical factory instead of Arkham Asylum like the comic.
The animation almost seems like a hybrid of Cartoon Network’s The Brave And The Bold crossed with the TMNT style of the early 2000s syndicated series. If you were hoping for a return to the 90s DCAU look, you might be a little disappointed*.
As far as the voice acting, none of the past TMNT voice actors reprise any roles. Fortunately, the actors who do appear perform the roles admirably and the voicing is top-notch as always.
That said, it really would have been that extra topping on the pizza to have the known voices like Rob Paulsen, Cam Clarke, or Kevin Michael Richardson in the mix. It’s very possible there are production reasons why it didn’t happen, but it still would have been cool.
Perhaps the biggest surprise is Troy Baker taking a shot as Batman. I have said before that I literally hear Kevin Conroy’s voice in my head when I read Batman comics. Baker has previously filled in for Mark Hamill as The Joker and pulled it off so well even Hamill himself was impressed. He manages the same feat here with uncanny accuracy to Conroy’s Batman.
While there is nothing shown explicitly, there is a good deal of violence in the movie. An example of this is when Shredder and Ra’s Al-Ghul infiltrate Arkham Asylum. A security guard is shown trying to stop them and you see a flash of a blade. Moments later, the guard’s severed hand is used to open the security door that leads to The Joker’s cell. Another is when Shredder kills by throwing a shuriken into the back of a head.
There is no word yet, as of this writing, whether there will be additional movies. Based on this first outing we certainly hope there will be. Each franchise still has villains that haven’t been used yet, and with two more comics stories, there are easily two more movies worth of material.
Now, how about that long overdue TMNT/Daredevil crossover?
In our previous episode, we discussed the revelations for Marvel’s Phase Four of The MCU. Here we talk a lot of the other news coming out of The Mecca Of Geekery that is San Diego Comic-Con!
Each trailer is listed below with the appropriate timestamp in the show discussion.
It is worth noting that only films slated for 2020 and 2021 were announced. There were no definite indications of theatrical releases for 2022. The possibilities of Black Panther 2, Captain Marvel 2, and Avengers 5 are still very strong.
For each of the announced movies or series, we’ll give our main speculation points and pair them up with what was confirmed during the Hall H presentation.
Speculation: Florence Pugh will play Yelena Belova/Crimson Widow. David Harbour will be Taskmaster. This may introduce a cloned Natasha like in the comics
Confirmed: Pugh will be Yelena Belova, David Harbour will be Alexi Shostakov aka Red Guardian, the Russian equivalent of Captain America.
New Speculation: Yelena Belova may be Taskmaster instead of Crimson Widow
Speculation: Millie Bobby Brown and Angelina Jolie would be the same character. Thanos and Adam Warlock would be involved in some capacity.
Confirmed: Several roles were announced, none of which were Thanos or Warlock. It will take place on Earth, and Kevin Feige described it as “full-on Jack Kirby“.
Speculation:Shang-Chi will fill the void Danny Rand/Iron Fist fills in the comics as the martial-arts expert. If this is an attempt to get a Bruce Lee vibe, it will fail to do so
Speculation: Will take place before Vision’s death in Infinity War.
Confirmed: Takes place in current time, so maybe Captain America was able to revive Vision in his post-Endgame quest. Monica Rambeau is in the show, perhaps to become a new Captain Marvel or Miss Marvel.
Speculation: Possible origin story or another story from the past. Loki’s escape during Endgame could play a factor.
Confirmed: Takes place after Loki’s escape in Avengers: Endgame. This will be the classic evil Loki and not the sympathetic character he became in Phase Three.
Speculation: Could be directly related to Guardians of the Galaxy 3 given the styles of directors James Gunn and Taiki Watiti. Plus Thor left with the Guardians to close out Endgame.
Confirmed:Natalie Portman will be reprising Jane Foster and will become Thor.
Current Speculation: Thor himself will be a supporting role, and it could still tie into Guardians 3
1:01:05 – Hawkeye (Fall 2021)
Speculation: Clint is back to adventuring now that his family is safe. We may see Kate Bishop.
Confirmed: Kate Bishop will be major part of the show
Maharshala Ali was a surprise announcement as the MCU Blade. It was not stated whether this will be a feature film or a Disney+ mini-series.
1:13:00 – X-Men and Deadpool (Phase Five?)
Marvel did not outright say any immediate future of the X-Men franchise, including Deadpool. But it seems like X-Men may wait a few years and get rebranded for Phase Five.
Iconic actor Rutger Hauer passed away this week at the age of 75. His 50 year career saw him play a multitude of roles. From hero to villain, action to drama, and just about everything in between.
If you’re looking to watch some of his famous roles, we have assembled a list of them here. While this is by no means an exhaustive list, it is a good lineup of performances in several genres.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4gN0nWL6NI
Nighthawks (1981) – Arguably his breakout performance as the villainous Wulfgar opposite detectives played by Sylvester Stallone and Billy Dee Williams.
Blade Runner (1982) – The role he will likely be remembered most for, Roy Batty was the rebellious replicant hunted by Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford).
Ladyhawke (1985) – This medieval fantasy cult favorite saw Hauer play the heroic Navarre alongside then up and coming actors Matthew Broderick and Michelle Pfeiffer
The Hitcher (1986) – Another signature villain role as John Ryder, the serial killer who terrorizes C. Thomas Howell.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxvzbESnoVM
Wanted Dead Or Alive (1986) – Inspired by the 1950s Western that starred Steve McQueen (yes, that Steve McQueen). Hauer plays a bounty hunter tracking down a terrorist played by Gene Simmons (yes, THAT Gene Simmons).
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) – The original Kristy Swanson movie that begat the series had Rutger as the vampire leader, Lothos.
Merlin (1998) – This spin on the classic tale of King Arthur tells the story from Merlin’s point of view. Hauer portrays the tyrannical King Vortigern opposite Sam Neill’s title character.
The 10th Kingdom (2000) – A fairy tale fantasy mini-series that is set years after the time of Snow White. Hauer is the Queen’s Huntsman who follows the heroes through the magic mirror and into New York City.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4e24m-LYl4
Salem’s Lot (2004) – Hauer takes on another vampire role. This time as Kurt Barlow, one of the main antagonists in this remake of the Stephen King classic.
Sin City (2005) – The star-studded ensemble cast saw Hauer in the small but memorable role as Cardinal Rourke.
Batman Begins (2005) – The first in Christopher Nolan’s epic trilogy, Batman Begins had Rutger play Earle, the man who tried to usurp Wayne Enterprises from Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne.
Hobo With a Shotgun (2011) – Hauer reprises the title role he had in the mock trailer of the same name in Robert Rodriguez & Quentin Tarantino’s Grindhouse.
The Rite (2011) – Hauer plays the father of Colin O’Donoghue’s protagonist in this supernatural thriller that also stars Anthony Hopkins
Dracula 3D (2012) – From vampire to a vampire hunter. Hauer plays Van Helsing in Dario Argento’s take on the legendary vampire story.
In addition, Hauer was a fan-favorite to play Magneto in a then dream X-Men film. Wizard magazine published a fanboy casting in 1992, approximately eight years before an X-Men film became a reality.
To be fair, Wizard did accurately pick Patrick Stewart to play Charles Xavier in the same casting.
Fortunately for his fans, Hauer had several parts which he had already filmed for movies and shows that have yet to be released. His IMDB page shows five projects currently still set for release within the coming year.
We at Geekville Radio extend are deepest condolences to Rutger Hauer’s family and friends.
However, if you were hoping for stories about Wolverine, Spider-Man, or The Fantastic Four, you may be disappointed. Feige clarified while speaking with Screen Rant that only stories from The Infinity Saga (Phases 1-3) will be explored.
“Right now, we’re focusing on for the first season, everything you know about the 23 movies in the Infinity Saga and adding one twist to them and seeing how everything turns out different.”
Marvel President Kevin Feige to Screen Rant
While that excludes classic issues where Wolverine kills The Hulk, or The Punisher becomes Captain America, the good news is that still means over twenty movies worth of material can be explored. Add in that the known actors will still be providing the voices, and it’s still a pretty ambitious concept.
One of the many fun things with San Diego Comic-Con is the plethora of trailers released. While the days of exclusive trailers are mostly gone, it’s still a big marketing day for the entertainment industry.
Here are several of the trailers that premiered over the weekend.
Netflix’s The Witcher starring Henry Cavill
HBO’s Watchmen, inspired by the classic comic book miniseries
A sizzle reel for Arrow gives a glimpse of Season Eight
The Flash Season 6
Flash Season 6 introduces the new villain Bloodwork
Top Gun: Maverick, the long-rumored sequel to the 1986 classic
Terminator: Dark Fate
Terminator: Dark Fate welcomes back Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor
Dark Crystal
Dark Crystal: Age Of Resistance still uses puppetry like its predecessor
Jay & Silent Bob Reboot is a sequel to 2003’s Jay & Silen Bob Strike Back
Star Trek: Picard looks to be an absolute treasure to TNG fans
What were your favorite trailers from Sand Diego Comic-Con? Sound off below!
Fans have been speculating how the Arrowverse creators will handle Crisis On Infinite Earths since its announcement almost a year ago. At San Diego Comic-Con fans were finally given some answers.
Perhaps the biggest bombshell revealed at the Arrow panel is that Brandon Routh will play two characters. His regular character, Ray Palmer/The Atom, and Superman.
Routh, of course, portrayed The Man Of Steel in 2006’s feature film Superman Returns. Released as a direct sequel to 1980’sSuperman II, which is widely considered the best of the Christopher Reeve films, Superman Returns established that Routh’s Superman and Reeve’s Superman were one and the same.
As if that wasn’t enough, Routh came on stage during the panel to reveal his costume.
Brandon Routh reveals a Kingdom Come Superman shirt
Routh will indeed be playing Superman as he appeared in the epic 1996 comics story Kingdom Come, which takes place in the future. In it, Superman is older and more of a grizzled veteran than the current day one.
Superman as he appears in Kingdom Come #1. Art by Alex Ross
This would also seem to imply that this aging badass Superman is that same Reeve/Routh movie version. How he will fit into the Crisis story was not revealed, but it sure whets fans’ appetite for the series when it airs this Fall.
As DC Comics fans know, Crisis On Infinite Earths was an epic universe-wide crossover event that rebooted the DC Universe continuity. All of the “other universes”, or Multi-verse as they might be called now, were streamlined into one congruent universe.
Arrow will be ending its eight-year run this season and will be part of the annual crossover event.
