Warner Announces Batman: Year One as Next Direct-to-DVD DC Movie, Justice League: Doom to Follow

As we knew from the sneak peek included with Green Lantern: Emerald Knights, Batman: Year One will be the next original DC animated film, due out October 18 from Warner Home Video.

It’s based on the comic storyline written by Frank Miller and illustrated by David Mazzucchelli. As described by the company,

The film depicts young Bruce Wayne’s return to Gotham City in his first attempts to fight injustice as a costumed vigilante. The playboy billionaire chooses the guise of a giant bat to combat crime, creates an early bond with a young Lieutenant James Gordon (who is already battling corruption from inside the police department), inadvertently plays a role in the birth of Catwoman, and helps to bring down a crooked political system that infests Gotham.

The voices are Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) as James Gordon; Ben McKenzie (Southland) as Batman; Eliza Dushku (Dollhouse) as Catwoman; Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica) as Detective Sarah Essen; and Alex Rocco (The Godfather) as crime lord Carmine Falcone. The movie is co-directed by Lauren Montgomery (Wonder Woman, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies) and Sam Liu (All-Star Superman), with script by Academy Award nominee (co-story for Gorillas in the Mist) Tab Murphy (Superman/Batman: Apocalypse).

This release will only feature a Blu-ray combo pack ($24.98 list price) or a single-disc DVD ($19.98). Extras on the Blu-ray include:

* A sneak peek at the following DC Universe animated original movie, Justice League: Doom

* As we learned in February, there will be a new original short, Catwoman. These shorter cartoons are sometimes my favorite part of the package, since they feature interesting characters and tight plotting, so I’m thrilled to see them return. Given the way it’s part of the promotion for the DVD, they seem to have realized they have an audience. Dushku will also be voicing the “felonious feline” in this solo adventure.

* “Heart of Vengeance: Returning Batman to His Roots” featurette about “the contemporary genius of Frank Miller and the audience that was poised to appreciate the depths of his work” in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and Batman: Year One.

* “Conversations With DC Comics” featurette in which “the Batman creative team at DC Entertainment discusses the personal influence of Batman: Year One on their careers. Batman producer Michael Uslan leads the chat amongst well-known writers, editors, and artists of the Batman lore.”

* Audio commentary with Alan Burnett, Sam Liu, Mike Carlin, and Andrea Romano

* An on-screen digital comic version of the first chapter of Batman: Year One

* Two Batman: The Animated Series episodes

* A digital copy of the film usable with iTunes or Windows

Batman: Year One will also be shown at the San Diego Comic-Con in conjunction with a panel discussion featuring the voice cast, executive producer Bruce Timm, casting/dialogue director Andrea Romano, and directors Lauren Montgomery & Sam Liu. Here’s the trailer: