BATMAN AND HARLEY QUINN Animated Film Cast Announced

Fans of the classic Harley Quinn rejoice!

Empire has revealed the principal voice cast for Batman and Harley Quinn, a new DC Comics animated movie direct to home video, executive produced by Bruce Timm and in his classic animation style that began with 1992's Batman: The Animated Series.

According to the article, Batman and Harley Quinn will feature "the reluctant team-up of Batman, Nightwing and Harley Quinn to try and stop a global catastrophe caused by Poison Ivy and Jason Woodrue, AKA the Plant-Master."

Kevin Conroy will once again voice Batman, after his previous work in Batman: The Killing Joke.  Loren Lester will reprise his character Nightwing, whom he originated as Robin with Conroy on Batman: The Animated Series.

"So many fans have asked when there will be another Batman: The Animated Series," said Lester, "and this film really captures that sensibility and essence that people loved about the original series.  That makes perfect sense when you know Bruce Timm was at the helm of both.  The difference is we're not restricted by the networks for this film, so we can take the story and characters in more mature areas, and explore more about them as three-dimensional human beings with human feelings and human desires that we often couldn’t explore in the series."

As for Harley Quinn herself, she will be voiced by Melissa Rauch.  Rauch is best known as Dr. Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory and appeared as Summer on the HBO series True Blood.

"I love that Harley is a badass and, beyond that, that she uses her humor as another weapon in her arsenal," said Rauch.  "She knows just how to diffuse a situation with her humor, and how to incite a situation with her sarcasm.  It's a dream role."

Regarding Harley's voice, she added, "I knew Harley had a higher pitched tone, and a bit of a New York accent — and I come from a New Jersey family where everyone could be former gun molls.  So I wanted to give a nod to my background without being as shrill.  In all honesty, I used to speak exactly like that — my acting school professors really worked the accent out of me.  So it was fun to find those tones and accent again."

Paget Brewster will voice Poison Ivy, after previously voicing Lana Lang in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and Lois Lane in Justice League: Gods and Monsters.  

Additional cast members include John DiMaggio, Eric Bauza, Rob Paulsen, Robin Atkin Downes, Mindy Sterling, and Trevor Devall.

Batman and Harley Quinn will be released on digital download, Blu-ray and DVD sometime this summer.

BBC Officially Confirms DOCTOR WHO: "The Power of the Daleks" Animation

Oh, my giddy aunt!  The Daleks are coming!

Doctor Who News has word that BBC Worldwide has officially announced that Patrick Troughton's first televised adventure as the Second Doctor, "The Power of the Daleks," is going to be released as a new animated recreation for the 50th anniversary of its original broadcast.  Here's the official press release they posted...

It's one of the Doctor’s most celebrated adventures and yet no complete film recordings of The Power of the Daleks are known to have survived. The master negatives were destroyed in an archive purge in 1974. 

BBC Worldwide has announced that a brand new black and white animation based on audio recordings of the programme using the original cast, surviving photographs and film clips will be released 50 years to the minute after its only UK broadcast on BBC One.

The six half-hour episodes feature the regeneration, or as it was then called ‘renewal’, of First Doctor William Hartnell into Second Doctor Patrick Troughton, as the Time Lord and his companions Polly (Anneke Wills) and Ben (Michael Craze) do battle with the Daleks on the planet Vulcan.

Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks is being produced by the team behind the highly successful animation of lost Dad’s Army episode A Stripe For Frazer, first released on BBC Store in February this year. The producer and director is Charles Norton, with character designs from acclaimed comic book artists Martin Geraghty and Adrian Salmon.

Charles Norton says:  "The Power of the Daleks animation is the most ambitious Doctor Who archive restoration ever attempted and we’re all very honoured to be a part of such a an exciting project. Intelligent, suspenseful and magnificently staged, Power of the Daleks is one of the great lost classics of 1960s television and a superb example of the black and white era at its finest."

Paul Hembury, Executive Producer, BBC Worldwide says:  "Charles and his team are remarkably talented and passionate about Doctor Who and we are thrilled that fans will soon be able to enjoy this rather sinister but wonderful, classic story."

According to the article, Doctor Who: The Power Of The Daleks will initially be exclusively released on BBC Store, with episode one available on November 5th at 5:50 p.m. GMT, and the others released on consecutive days thereafter.  The story will become available online more widely on November 14th (No mention of where online), and will also be released on DVD in the United Kingdom on November 21st (No other regions have been announced yet).

For those of us in the States, BBC America has confirmed that Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks will be broadcast on the channel shortly after its U.K. release.  The animated story premieres Saturday, November 12th, and will be available the following day to stream on BBCAmerica.com and on the BBC America app.

Oh, and look...Here's the official teaser video from the equally official Doctor Who YouTube account...



"The Evil of the Daleks" next, anyone?

Matt Ryan to Reprise Constantine in Animated JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK

Heads up, Hellblazers...John Constantine's coming back to TV.

ComicBookMovie.com has word that Matt Ryan, who starred as DC Comics/VERTIGO character John Constantine on the short-lived (but fondly remembered) NBC series Constantine, will reprise the role for the upcoming DC Comics animated movie Justice League Dark.

The project was first rumored last month, with a formal announcement at Comic-Con International San Diego 2016 last week, along with Teen Titans: The Judas Contract and Batman and Harley Quinn.  The special features for Batman: The Killing Joke have leaked online and include a sneak peek at Justice League Dark. 

According to the 8-minute feature, the principal voice cast includes:

Matt Ryan as John Constantine

Jason O'Mara as Batman

Camilla Luddington as Zatanna

Nicholas Turturro as Deadman

Ray Chase as The Demon/Jason Blood

Other characters featured in Justice League Dark include Swamp Thing, Black Orchid, Felix Faust, and the Demons Three.  The House of Mystery will also make its appearance.

Created in 2011 by Peter Milligan and Mike Janin, Justice League Dark first appeared in Justice League Dark #1 as a team of supernatural character in the DC Universe who handle situations deemed unfit for the traditional Justice League.

Other members of the team included Andrew Bennett, Amethyst, Doctor Mist, Frankenstein, Madame Xanadu, Mindwarp, Nightmare Nurse, Pandora, the Phantom Stranger, Shade the Changing Man, Timothy Hunter, and Zauriel.

A live-action film adaptation of Justice League Dark is reportedly still in development at Warner Bros., although director Guillermo del Toro, who had been working on the project since 2012, is no longer attached to the project.

If you'd like to check out the 8-minute feature, you can view it below thanks to Mr. Marbles on YouTube...

Justice League Dark is expected to arrive on home video and video on-demand sometime later this fall.

Animated BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE Cast Revealed

"All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy."
-- The Joker, Batman: The Killing Joke

Comic Book Resources has confirmed that Batman: The Animated Series stars Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill will reprise their respective roles of Batman and The Joker for the upcoming animated movie adaptation of Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland.

In addition, CBR has revealed that Tara Strong will voice Batgirl/Barbara Gordon and Ray Wise will voice Batgirl's father, Commissioner James Gordon.

"The chance to work once again with Kevin Conroy, my favorite Batman, in what some consider the definitive origin of this iconic villain is a dream come true for me," said Hamill in a statement.  "I am beyond thrilled to return as The Joker in The Killing Joke!'"

"I’ve had the great privilege of voicing Batman for more than two decades, and some of my favorite moments in the recording booth have been alongside Mark Hamill," added Conroy. "Mark always enables me to be a better actor.  I’m thrilled that we’re both back to bring these characters to life in one of the most heralded Batman/Joker stories of all time."

According to the article, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will host the world premiere of Batman: The Killing Joke this summer at Comic-Con International in San Diego and the film will arrive in stores later this summer.

Created in 1988 by writer Alan Moore and artist Brian Bolland, Batman: The Killing Joke is a one-shot graphic novel that provides an origin for The Joker as a failed stand-up comedian who agrees to aid a gang of criminals and is thwarted by the superhero Batman before being disfigured.  In the process, he is driven insane and adopts his supervillain persona. The story is also notable for The Joker shooting and paralyzing Barbara Gordon, which forced her to give up her Batgirl identity and later adopt the new alias Oracle.

Conroy, 60, debuted as Batman/Bruce Wayne in 1992 with Batman: The Animated Series, and continued voicing the character with the 1993 animated film Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, The New Batman Adventures, Superman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, The Zeta Project, Justice League, Static Shock, Justice League Unlimited, Justice League: Doom, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, Superman/Batman: Apocalypse, Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, the Batman: Strange Days animated short, and several videogames. 

Hamill, 64, also debuted as The Joker in 1992 with Batman: The Animated Series, and continued voicing the character with the 1993 animated film Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, The New Batman Adventures, Superman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, Static Shock, Justice League, the live-action TV series Birds of Prey, and several videogames.

Strong, 43, provided the voice for Batgirl in numerous television series, first on The New Batman Adventures, Gotham Girls, Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker and Super Best Friends Forever. She's also provided the voice for Harley Quinn on the TV series Arrow, and in videogames such as Injustice: Gods Among Us, the Arkham series and LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham.

Wise, 68, is best known as Leland Palmer on the ABC series Twin Peaks.  He also voiced Perry White in the animated film Superman: Doomsday, and has appeared in the films RoboCop (1987) and Swamp Thing as Dr. Alec Holland.  In addition, he recently appeared on the ABC series Agent Carter, along with the TV series Reaper, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Star Trek: Voyager.

BATMAN: BAD BLOOD Animated Movie Cast Announced

Gotham City is about to add two new crimefighters.

TV Insider has revealed the principal voice cast for Batman: Bad Blood, the latest DC Comics animated movie, which continues the Batman storyline that began in Son of Batman and continued in Batman vs. Robin.

Yvonne Strahovski, from The Astronaut Wives Club, Chuck and Dexter, will play Katherine Kane, better known to DC Comics fans as Batwoman.  In addition, Gaius Charles, from Friday Night Lights and Aquarius, will voice Luke Fox a.k.a. Batwing.  Bad Blood also features Ernie Hudson as Lucius Fox, a longtime associate of Bruce Wayne, and Luke's father.

Jason O’Mara, the former Terra Nova and Life on Mars (U.S.) star returns as the voice as Batman. Stuart Allan, who appeared on the television series Bad Teacher, and Sean Maher, who was a regular on Firefly and played Shrapnel on CW’s Arrow, are returning as Robin/Damian and Nightwing, respectively.  Morena Baccarin also returns as Robin's mother, Talia al Ghul.

Created in 2006 by Greg Rucka and Ken Lashley, the current version of Batwoman first appeared in 52 #7 as Kate Kane, whose mother was executed during a kidnapping and her twin sister Beth presumed killed.  Attending the United States Military Academy like her father, Kate was forced to leave when she refused to lie about her lesbian relationship with another student.  Inspired by an encounter with Batman during a mugging, Kate underwent an intensive two years of training across the globe and began fighting crime as Batwoman.

Created in 2013 by Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti and Eduardo Pansica, Luke Fox became the second Batwing in Batwing #19, when the first, David Zavimbe, resigned and Lucius Fox designed a new Batwing suit given to Luke by Batman.

Batman: Bad Blood will arrive on Blu-Ray, DVD and On Demand sometime in early 2016.

VIXEN Animated Series Casts Megalyn Echikunwoke as Vixen

Vixen is about to get animated...and possibly more?

According to Vixen Varsity, the upcoming CW Seed animated series Vixen, originally announced in January, has cast Megalyn Echikunwoke as lead character Mari McCabe, better known to DC Comics fans as the superhero Vixen.

The six-episode animated web series is set in The CW's DC Comics universe will feature appearances from several actors from the CW live-action series Arrow and The Flash, including Grant Gustin as The Flash, Stephen Amell as The Arrow, Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak, and Carlos Valdes as Cisco Ramon.  The official synopsis of the series:

Originally from Africa, Mari McCabe’s parents were killed by local greed, corruption, and wanton violence. But the orphaned Mari refuses to succumb to the terrors surrounding her. Inheriting her family’s Tantu Totem, Mari can access the powers of animals-anything from the super-strength of a gorilla to the speed of a cheetah. As Vixen, she fights valiantly to protect the world from threats like those that claimed her family.

Echikunwoke, 32, is best known as Tara Price on CSI: Miami and Isabelle Tyler on The 4400.  She's also appeared in the movie A Good Day to Die Hard, and the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Following, House of Lies, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Supernatural, That '70s Show, and Veronica Mars.

Created in 1981 by Gerry Conway and Bob Oksner, Vixen first appeared in Action Comics (vol.1) #521 as Mari Jiwe McCabe, a young woman who grew up in a small African village in the fictional nation of Zambesi, M'Changa province.  Mari heard the legend of the "Tantu Totem" from her mother, but sometime later, Mari's mother was killed by poachers and she was raised by her father Reverend Richard Jiwe, the village priest.  Reverend Jiwe himself was killed by his half-brother (Mari's uncle) General Maksai.  Maksai wanted the Tantu Totem, which Jiwe had possessed.  Mari ultimately moved to America, where she established an identity as Mari McCabe and got a job as a model in New York City.  She used her newfound wealth to travel the world.  On a trip back to Africa, she came across her uncle and took back the Tantu Totem, using its power to become the costumed superhero Vixen.

Vixen later joined the Justice League of America, reorganized by Aquaman as a team based in Detroit, until team members Vibe and Steel were killed and the team was disbanded by the Martian Manhunter.  She eventually joined the Suicide Squad, entering into a romance with the Bronze Tiger until she walked away and left the team.

Echikunwoke will be the third actress to portray Vixen in animated projects, after Gina Torres in the series Justice League Unlimited, and Cree Summer in the series Batman: The Brave and the Bold.  However, if the web series does well enough, she could appear in live-action as well.

Vixen is expected to air online on CW Seed later this summer.

BATMAN VS. ROBIN Animated Movie Cast Announced

Once again, Kevin Conroy returns to the world of Batman...just not as Batman.

The Hollywood Reporter has revealed the principal voice cast for Batman vs. Robin, the latest DC Comics animated movie, which is a sequel to last year's Son of Batman and is inspired by the 2011-12 story Batman: The Court of Owls by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo.

Jason O’Mara, the former Terra Nova and Life on Mars (U.S.) star returns as the voice as Batman.  Stuart Allan, who appeared on the television series Bad Teacher, and Sean Maher, who was a regular on Firefly and played Shrapnel on CW’s Arrow, are returning as Robin/Damian and Nightwing, respectively.  David McCallum (NCIS) also returns as Batman's faithful butler and friend, Alfred Pennyworth.

The legendary Kevin Conroy, the definitive voice of Batman from Batman: The Animated Series, the Arkham video games and other Batman projects, will voice Thomas Wayne, Bruce Wayne’s father, presumably in a flashback sequence.

Other voices include Jeremy Sisto (Suburgatory), who will voice Talon, the Court of Owls’ almost unstoppable assassin; Grey Griffin (formerly DeLisle), as a character named Samantha; Robin Atkin Downes (Superman vs. The Elite) will voice a character named Grandmaster; Peter Onorati voices a man named Draco; and "Weird Al" Yankovic will play Batman villain The Dollmaker.

Created in 2011 by Snyder and Capullo, The Court of Owls was first mentioned in Batman (vol.2) #1 and first appeared in Batman (vol.2) #5 as an ancient secret order that has controlled Gotham City for centuries.  They are a violent cabal of some of Gotham City's oldest and wealthiest families who use murder and money to wield political influence throughout history.

Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice storyboard artist Jay Olivia, who has helmed five previous DC Animation features, is directing the project, which has a script by J.M. DeMatteis.  James Tucker is producing.

Batman vs. Robin will arrive on Blu-Ray, DVD and On Demand sometime later this year.