With the anticipated DC animated series Batman: Caped Crusader in search of a new home after being dropped by HBO Max, a number of top contenders have emerged.
Last month, The Hollywood Reporter reported that a number of streaming companies were interested in picking up Caped Crusader, including Netflix, Hulu and Apple. The outlet now reports that the "big contenders" to acquire the Batman show are Netflix, Amazon and Apple. In other words, depending on how things go from here, Caped Crusader could end up streaming on Netflix itself, or perhaps Prime Video or Apple TV+. (Notably, while HBO Max is considered the de facto streaming home for all things DC these days, Netflix already has a major original series based on a DC comic in the form of The Sandman.)
Batman: Caped Crusader Takes the Dark Knight Back to His Roots
Created by Batman: The Animated Series co-creator and DC Animated Universe architect Bruce Timm alongside The Batman director Matt Reeves and Star Wars director J.J. Abrams, Batman: Caped Crusader was initially announced for HBO Max in May 2021. "We are beyond excited to be working together to bring this character back, to tell engrossing new stories in Gotham City," Timm, Reeves and Abrams said in a joint statement at the time. "The series will be thrilling, cinematic and evocative of Batman's noir roots, while diving deeper into the psychology of these iconic characters. We cannot wait to share this new world."
Timm later described Caped Crusader as being "more Batman: The Animated Series than Batman: The Animated Series." "It kind of goes back to the original principles of the show that we originally came up with in the early '90s," he said. "There were certain limitations on what we could do in terms of adult content; in terms of violence and adult themes. My idea is basically to say, 'OK, it's 1990 again, I get to do what I want to do this time, and I got JJ and Matt backing me up.'"
HBO Max's decision to drop Caped Crusader comes amid the massive upheaval currently going on at the Warner-owned streaming service. While perhaps the most infamous development to come out of said upheaval was the cancellation of the live-action Batgirl film, animated content has arguably taken the brunt of the impact. Numerous animated shows have been canceled by HBO Max, with some being removed from the platform altogether. As a result of this controversial change of direction, Caped Crusader was left without a home -- though it certainly seems it may find a new one rather soon.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter