DC Planning (Another) Animated Universe Beginning With JUSTICE LEAGUE: WAR

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Seems you can’t do anything with superheroes these days unless you’re planning a whole universe around your properties. And while DC and Warner Bros. attempt to get a live action universe off the ground, the animation guys, much like the TV guys, are way ahead of in the game.

In speaking with Comic Book Resources, Justice League: War producer James Tucker says the plan is to have a New 52-inspired animation-verse:

This will definitely be the first salvo in doing new movies that are in continuity with each other… Our next movie’s going to be Son of Batman, and that Batman will be the same Batman that you see in Justice League: War. Basically, we’ll have two concurrent series of Justice League movies and Batman movies, and they’ll be in continuity with each other. So it’s kind of world-building.

Of course, those of us who remember the early 90s through the aughts have already experienced a DC Animated Universe that even bests the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Under the watchful eye of Bruce Timm, Batman: The Animated Series, The New Batman Adventures, Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League and Justice League: Unlimited may very well be the model for the Marvel-verse we’re experiencing now. What makes this DC Animated Universe different? Well, it’s based in the New 52 mythology that DC developed in the comics starting in 2011.

Producer Jay Olivia:

The New 52 isn’t following the Bruce Timm universe… It isn’t a classic story like ‘The Dark Knight Returns’ where I have to make sure that I please the Frank Miller fans. It’s nice, because I can approach this with a fresh eye: What do I want to see in this retelling of this story? It’s fun.

I won’t get down on this too much because Timm’s universe is a tough act to follow. But for fans who still remember those glory days of DC animation, we know it’s going to take something spectacular to separate that past from what is apparently DC’s animation future.