Batman Abandoned By HBO Max, Picked Up By Amazon Prime Video

Warner Bros. Shifts Its Superhero Ventures, Resulting In The Abandonment Of Batman: Caped Crusader By Hbo Max And Its Subsequent Pick-up By Amazon Prime Video.

By Amitabh Mukherji
April 27,2023
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Warner Bros. Discovery has undergone a number of changes since David Zaslav took over in 2022. One area of upheaval has been with the DC superhero projects that stream on HBO Max. Some projects have been canceled, while others have been offered to competing streaming services.

Batman: Caped Crusader, an animated series and a sequel to Batman: The Animated Series, was abandoned as an HBO Max project. However, the series was ultimately picked up by Amazon Prime Video, a competitor of Warner Bros.

New Animated Batman Movies On Amazon

Batman

Merry Little Batman, the abandoned animated Batman movie, has now found a home on Amazon Prime Video. The spin-off TV show will also stream on the platform, similarly to Batman: Caped Crusader. The Warner Bros. Animation chief, Sam Register, stated that they are excited to partner with Amazon to create new animated Batman content. The new projects range from the cinematic noir storytelling of Batman: Caped Crusader to the comedic adventures of Merry Little Batman and Bat-Family. These projects will cater to Batman fans of all ages.

Merry Little Batman follows the journey of young Damian Wayne, as he transforms into a hero known as “Little Batman” to protect Gotham City from villains aiming to destroy the holidays. The film will be directed by Mike Roth, the director of Regular Show. The script will be written by Morgan Evans, of Teen Titans Go! fame. The spin-off series, Bat-Family, will focus on the greater Bat-Fam of Batman, Alfred, and Damian Wayne, as they “navigate the fun and frustrations of life as a super family.”

The Warner-Amazon Animation Alliance

Warner-Amazon Animation Alliance

As Warner Bros. refocuses its DC ventures under the guidance of James Gunn, it is also retooling its overall streaming strategy. As part of this strategy, Warner Bros. is making deals with competing streaming services to get anything not connected to the DC Universe off the service. This includes the trio of titles mentioned earlier. It is unknown if this is a widespread streaming strategy for Warner Bros., but it appears to be a developing pattern.

The release date for Merry Little Batman, Bat-Family, and Batman: Caped Crusader has yet to be announced. With the Warner-Amazon Animation Alliance, Warner Bros. seems to be exploring new avenues for its superhero content while focusing on the DC Universe. The move to collaborate with Amazon Prime Video indicates that the studio is open to expanding its superhero content across multiple platforms.