Batwheels, the upcoming preschool show starring the vehicles of the Bat Family, was the subject of a special sneak peek video at DC Fandome.
The video was hosted by Jacob Bertrand, who provides the voice of Bam, the show's sentient Batmobile. Bertrand said that he was thrilled to portray the leader of the Batwheels team, describing the car as a "fun loving goofball always putting his team first." Bertrand added that he loved the show's aesthetic, as well as the new angle it presented on Gotham City.
"I love seeing all the little animations that they add in; it's really cool," Bertrand said. "The chase scenes are super fun; it's exciting to see the world of Gotham through the lens of the cars." A.J. Hudson, who plays Robin in the series, also chimed in, pointing out that he was excited to bring to life Duke Thomas, "the first African American to put on the Robin mask."
While Duke goes by the name The Signal in current Batman comics, he previously donned a makeshift Robin costume in the 2015-2016 We Are Robin series, which saw him leading a group of youths inspired by the Boy Wonder. Batwheels will mark Duke's first significant appearance outside of the comic book medium.
The FanDome sneak peek also showed off a glimpse of the hyper-colorful Gotham City featured in Batwheels, as well as the show's signature musical track, which is reminiscent of the 1966 Batman opening. "Growing up I was a really big DC fan," Bertrand said at the video's end. "What kid doesn't love superheroes? And now being on the list of superheroes as Batmobile feels pretty good."
Announced in October, Batwheels is an action-comedy series featuring a team composed of Bam, Redbird (Robin's sports car), Bibi (Batgirl's motorcycle), Buff (a monster truck vaguely reminiscent of Batman's heavy duty tank-like vehicles from The Dark Knight Returns and Batman: The Cult), and Batwing, Batman's jet plane. Together, these vehicles are led by the sentient A.I. Batcomputer, repaired by Batman's robot repairman Moe and will battle other cars based off of the Dark Knight's villains -- including a van bearing the grinning visage of the Joker.
Aside from Duke Thomas, Cassandra Cain and Batman himself will both make regular appearances alongside the Batwheels team. Cain is played by Leah Lewis, while Ethan Hawke plays Batman.
Batwheels has yet to receive a premiere date. The show will debut on Cartoon Network and HBO Max in 2022.
Source: DC FanDome