Batman, Superman, Adult Swim Spin-offs Among Warnermedia’s Bumper Animation Slate
While Warnermedia faces upheavals, its animation slate brings a warm feeling of familiarity.
At its upfront presentation on Wednesday, the company announced a slew of animated shows based on tried-and-true properties — DC characters, Adult Swim favorites — as well as a couple of originals. Here are the details:
Batman: Caped Crusader
Coming to HBO Max and Cartoon Network
Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, Bad Robot Productions, 6th & Idaho
Batman is being reimagined with “state-of-the-art animation techniques and technologies.” Bruce Timm, co-creator of Batman: The Animated Series, is onboard as executive producer, and Caped Crusader is being presented as a spiritual successor to that hallowed 1990s show (a “sequel” had been rumored). J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves (director of the upcoming Robert Pattinson-starring The Batman) are also executive-producing. The series will channel “Batman’s noir roots, while diving deeper into the psychology of these iconic characters,” the trio say.
My Adventures with Superman
Coming to HBO Max and Cartoon Network
Produced by Warner Bros. Animation
The Kryptonian and co return for this family-friendly series, which has a two-season order. The show, which is described as a “serialized coming-of-age story,” will focus on the adventures of — and dynamic between — Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Jimmy Olsen, the investigative reporting team at the Daily Planet. WBA’s Sam Register is executive-producing, with Jake Wyatt (Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus) and Brendan Clogher (Voltron: Legendary Defender) as co-executive producers and Josie Campbell (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power) as co-producer.
Smiling Friends
Coming to Adult Swim
Created by Michael Cusack, Zach Hadel
Charlie and Pim, employees of Smiling Friends Inc., console troubled citizens in this self-help satire. The quarter-hour series grew out of a pilot aired as part of an April Fool’s stunt by Adult Swim, which went on to become the most-viewed episode on the network’s website. Cusack created Adult Swim’s YOLO: Crystal Fantasy; Hadel co-created the Youtube Flash series Hellbenders.
Royal Crackers
Coming to Adult Swim
Created by Jason Ruiz
Produced by Titmouse
Family man Stebe and bass guitarist Theo Jr., who is single, await their comatose father’s death so they can inherit his cracker empire. The half-hour series, which will premiere next year, was created by Ruiz, an alum of the Fox/20th Joint Inkubation Program who has created and developed animated content for Fox and the now-defunct Super Deluxe. He executive-produces alongside Seth Cohen.
Four Adult Swim spin-offs
Coming to Adult Swim digital platforms
The network has announced digital short series based on four of its most popular properties: Rick and Morty, Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell, Robot Chicken, and Aqua Teen Hunger Force (for which a spin-off movie was also recently announced). Each will run to 8–10 episodes and focus on minor characters from the original shows: Aquadonk Side Pieces, for instance, will star villains from Aqua Teen Hunger Force.
