Brown, Conroy, And Daly Confirmed For Upcoming "Superman/Batman: Public Enemies"

July 04, 2009



The World's Finest has received confirmation on the lead roles in the upcoming Superman/Batman: Public Enemies direct-to-video animated feature.

A representative for Warner Bros. Animation has confirmed for The World's Finest that Clancy Brown, Kevin Conroy, and Tim Daly will be reunited in the upcoming Superman/Batman: Public Enemies direct-to-video animated feature, scheduled to hit Blu-ray and DVD in September 2009. All three actors will be reprising familiar roles.

Kevin Conroy is cast as Batman, Tim Daly as Superman and Clancy Brown as Lex Luthor in the upcoming direct-to-video animated feature based off the initial six-part "Public Enemies" storyline from the Superman/Batman comic book. All three actors have played these respective roles before, most notably in Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series.

Allison Mack, CCH Pounder, and John C. McGinley also have roles in the animated feature.

An official announcement on the upcoming Superman/Batman: Public Enemies direct-to-video animated feature, scheduled to hit Blu-ray and DVD in September 2009, is expected next week. Stay tuned for further updates.

http://worldsfinestonline.com/news.php?action=fullnews&id=482

Writer Jeph Loeb On The Upcoming "Superman/Batman: Public Enemies" Animated Feature

July 03, 2009 by James Harvey





Jeph Loeb sits down with The World's Finest for an exclusive Q & A on the upcoming Superman/Batman: Public Enemies direct-to-video animated feature.



The World's Finest caught up with famed comic and television writer Jeph Loeb for a quick Q & A to share his thoughts on the upcoming direct-to-video Superman/Batman: Public Enemies animated feature. The animated feature adapts the six-issue story arc of the same name, originally written by Loeb, from the Superman/Batman comic series currently published by DC Comics. The story features Superman and Batman facing off against Lex Luthor, now President of the United States.

The World's Finest: Any thoughts on seeing one of your stories being adapted into an animated feature? Were you surprised by the announcement?

Jeph Loeb: I got a call from DC asking if I wanted to write the script, which caught me totally off guard because I had no idea they were thinking about this series. I love the Justice League: The New Frontier DVD both in terms of look and how faithful they were to the story. My schedule wouldn't allow it, so all I could do was hope for the best. And from what I've seen it's better than the best!

WF: Have you been consulted about this project? Are there any moments you'd like to make sure appear in the animated movie, and do you think they'll stick close to the source material?

JL: I didn't have anything to do with it. I know the people involved and they are all first rate, top of their game in animation. I did some commentary that is on the DVD. I hope that's not too embarrassing!

WF: Is there another Superman/Batman arc of yours you would like to see adapted?

JL: Sure! All of them! I'd love to see them adapt the next arc, Supergirl, and do it in Mike Turner's style. That's what makes these DVD's so unique is that they have been following the designs of the specific artists. The “McGuinness” look to Superman/Batman: Public Enemies just rocks!

WF: Do you plan to check out Superman/Batman: Public Enemies when it hits shelves?

JL: On the shelves?! I'm hoping for an advance copy (laughs)! I've downloaded the trailer and play it all the time.

WF: There have been rumors that your other work, specifically Batman: The Long Halloween, may be adapted into animation at some point. Any details on that? Any thoughts?

JL: Haven't heard a thing, but they keep secrets really well over there. Batman: The Long Halloween is certainly one of my favorite stories, and I was incredibly flattered how much has been used in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.

WF: To wrap this up, can you give fans a quick update on what you're up to right now, including current comic and entertainment work? What can we expect from you down the line?

JL: In movies and television there are a few huge announcements which I can't really talk about at this time, but very soon. I am going back to television on a new series that is going to be huge!

In comics, my plate is very full. I've got the monthly Hulk book, featuring the all-new, all-deadly Red Hulk, with my Superman/Batman partner Ed McGuinness. Also, we're finishing up Ultimatum with David Finch, which will both reinvent and reinvigorate the Ultimate Universe at Marvel and lead toward Brian Bendis' new Ultimate Spider-Man, Mark Millar's Ultimate Avengers, and my own New Ultimates with Frank Cho. It's going to be a very big year!

The World's Finest would like to thank Jeph Loeb for his participation!

A co-production of Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies will debut Tuesday, September 29th, 2009 on DVD and Blu-ray disc. Click here to view the official press release for the upcoming direct-to-video Supermna/Batman: Public Enemies animated feature release.

Stay tuned for further Superman/Batman: Public Enemies updates coming soon!

GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT World Premiere at Comic Con on July 23, 2009!

July 1, 2009

GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT, the highly-anticipated fifth entry in the popular DVD series of DC Universe animated original PG-13 movies, will have its world premiere at Comic-Con in San Diego on Thursday, July 23, 2009.



More than 4,000 fans will have the opportunity to see GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT on the big screen five days before the latest DC Universe film is distributed on DVD and Blu-Ray� Hi-Def. The film will premiere in the San Diego Convention Center�s Ballroom 20 at 8:00 p.m.

A panel comprised of filmmakers and voice cast will be presented on the following day, Friday, July 24. Details on that panel and its participants will be announced next week.

Acclaimed actor Christopher Meloni (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) fills the lead voice of Hal Jordan aka Green Lantern. Meloni is joined by fellow Emmy Award nominee Victor Garber (Milk, Titanic) as the villainous Sinestro, Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica) as the voice of Boodikka, and Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs) as Kilowog. The cast also includes Juliet Landau (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), John Larroquette (Night Court), Kurtwood Smith (That �70s Show), and David Lander (Laverne & Shirley).

Produced by animation legend Bruce Timm, GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT is helmed by heralded director Lauren Montgomery (Wonder Woman, Superman Doomsday) and scripted by four-time Emmy Award-winning writer Alan Burnett (The Batman).

GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT finds Hal Jordan recruited to join the Green Lantern Corps and placed under the supervision of respected senior Lantern Sinestro. The earthling soon discovers his mentor is actually the central figure in a secret conspiracy that threatens the philosophies, traditions and hierarchy of the entire Green Lantern Corps. Hal must quickly hone his newfound powers and combat the treasonous Lanterns within the ranks to maintain order in the universe.

A co-production of Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation, the illuminated hero�s first-ever full-length animated film is set for release by Warner Home Video on July 28, 2009. GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT will be available as a special edition 2-disc version on DVD and Blu-Ray� Hi-Def, as well as single disc DVD.









GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT comes to DVD on July 28, 2009. Visit the official site at GREENLANTERNDVD.COM.

SUPERMAN/BATMAN: PUBLIC ENEMIES Coming in September '09

June 29, 2009

Warner Home Video sent the following press release announcing their next animated DCU film: SUPERMAN/BATMAN: PUBLIC ENEMIES...



BURBANK, CA (June 29, 2008) – The World’s Greatest Super Heroes become America’s most wanted criminals – and are hunted by friends and foes alike – in Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, the sixth entry in the popular DVD series of DC Universe Animated Original PG-13 Movies. A co-production of Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation, the full-length animated film will be distributed by Warner Home Video on September 29, 2009. Superman/Batman: Public Enemies will be available as a Special Edition 2-disc version on DVD and Blu-Ray™ Hi-Def for $24.98 (SRP) and $29.99 (SRP), respectively, as well as single disc DVD for $19.98 (SRP) and On Demand. Order due date for all versions is August 25, 2009. Superman/Batman: Public Enemies is based on the popular Jeph Loeb/Ed McGuinness comic series/graphic novel. Animation legend Bruce Timm (Superman Doomsday, Green Lantern) is executive producer. Michael Goguen (Justice League: The New Frontier) is supervising producer. Sam Liu (The Batman) is directing a script written by Stan Berkowitz (Justice League: The New Frontier).

In the film, United States President Lex Luthor uses the oncoming trajectory of a Kryptonite asteroid to frame Superman and declare a $1 billion bounty on the heads of the Man of Steel and his “partner in crime,” Batman. Heroes and villains alike launch a relentless pursuit of Superman and Batman, who must unite – and recruit help – to stave off the action-packed onslaught, stop the asteroid, and uncover Luthor’s devious plot to take command of far more than North America.

The movie reunites the lead voices of Superman, Batman and Lex Luthor from the landmark Superman: The Animated Series and Batman: The Animated Series. Tim Daly, Kevin Conroy, and Clancy Brown reprise their roles as Superman, Batman and Lex Luthor, respectively.

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies - 2 Disc Special Edition version will have more than three hours of incredible bonus features, including:

* Featurettes

* "The Blackest Night: Inside the DC Comics Event" - Behind-the-scenes of BLACKEST NIGHT, the epic DC Super Hero event in which the dead shall rise.

* "A Test of Minds" - Superman and Batman featurette with Jeph Loeb, giving viewers a fresh and revitalized look at the team-up of Superman and Batman working together despite their often competitive and challenging relationship.

* "Dinner with DC: With Special Guest Kevin Conroy" - Reprising his role from Batman: The Animated Series, Kevin Conroy joins the crew for dinner to discuss their creative approach and what the Superman/Batman team-up means. The evening will be hosted by Voice Director Andrea Romano, Producer Bruce Timm and DC’s Gregory Noveck

* Extended Sneak Peak at Next DCU Film

* Digital Copy Download

* Widescreen (1.78:1)

* Two Episodes of Justice League Unlimited hand-picked by animation legend Bruce Timm.

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies Blu-Ray versions will have more than three-and-a-half hours of bonus materials, including all the great extras from the 2-disc Special Edition as well as two additional episodes of Justice League Unlimited and two episodes from Justice League, both personally selected by fan-favorite Bruce Timm.

“Warner Premiere is excited to continue this successful partnership with DC Comics, Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Home Video to present feature-length PG-13 animated original films with the filmmaking and celebrity voice starpower of Superman/Batman: Public Enemies,” said Matt Bierman, Senior Vice President Production, Warner Premiere.

“Based on the past success of Superman Doomsday and Batman Gotham Knight, we know the pairing of The Man of Steel and The Dark Knight – pitted against both their DC Super Hero colleagues and the entire rogue’s gallery of DC villains – will offer fans the level of entertainment normally reserved for the big, summer blockbuster films,” said Amit Desai, WHV Vice President of Family, Animation & Partner Brands.

“This is the ultimate film for DC animation lovers featuring not only the cornerstone characters of comic book and Saturday morning heroes, but also returns the seminal voices of those characters – Tim Daly, Kevin Conroy and Clancy Brown – in a story that explores the Superman/Batman dynamic and allows Lex Luthor to shine in ultimate villainy,” said Gregory Noveck, Senior VP Creative Affairs, DC Comics.

Got some images to share as well...





SUPERMAN/BATMAN: PUBLIC ENEMIES will be distributed by Warner Home Video on September 29, 2009.

GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT: Executive Producer Bruce Timm

Animation legend Bruce Timm puts the spotlight on character designer Jose Lopez and screenwriter Alan Burnett for their other-worldly creations on GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT, the next entry in the popular series of DC Universe animated original PG-13 movies from Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation.



Timm, the executive producer on GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT,, has been the driving creative force behind many of Warner Bros. Animation’s modern-day successes, elevating DC Comics’ canon of super heroes to new heights of animated popularity and introducing generations of new fans to the characters via landmark television series and made-for-DVD films. The latter task includes the creation of the current series of DC Universe animated original movies, which have drawn critical acclaim and further whetted the public’s appetite for comic book entertainment with the release of and Wonder Woman.

Here's a few blurbs from Bruce Timm...

* On Jose Lopez's character design: "This is a total science fiction film – we spend maybe 10 minutes on Earth at the beginning of the movie and then the rest of it all takes place in outer space and in several different alien environments. So while we did base the initial, broad strokes design on pre-existing comics characters, we still needed armies of Green Lanterns and tons of aliens. Jose designed virtually all of them – literally hundreds of unique alien species for all of these different polyglot worlds. And they are all really cool. I mean, some of the designs are really out there. Sometimes they’d hand me his designs and I’d say, “Wow, what am I even looking at? That’s a sentient being? You’ve got to be kidding me.” It’s funny because both Lauren and I encouraged him to think way outside the box. And he did – maybe further than we even imagined. Jose came up with some really weird, bizarre life forms and they’re all good."

* On working with writer Alan Burnett: "Alan is the quiet man of Warner Bros. Animation and, to a degree, I feel bad because he doesn’t really get enough credit for all that he has done over the years – going all the way to Batman: The Animated Series and all these shows he's worked on since. He actually kind of prefers to stay in the background and just do his job and not get in front of the cameras and go to conventions and speak in front of crowds. He doesn't enjoy that aspect of it. He’s never been about tooting his own horn, but he’s always been the rock on our projects. Alan is the stabilizer. I think it was Glen Murakami who referred to Alan as the glue that binds everything together. And it's true. He’s a really solid professional. He knows all the ins and outs of story construction and character dynamics and then all of the extras that a good writer knows to plus out a story. At the same time, he likes to push himself to do things that he hasn’t done before and explore different avenues of story lines. He's got a sense of humor that sometimes comes out in really odd, unique ways. On BTAS, he would go down story lines and even I would be saying, “Wow, you really want to do THAT in a children's cartoon?” He’s funny that way – he likes to upset the apple cart and take chances. So Alan is really solid and dependable and at the same time he’s also very experimental. It’s like the best of both worlds. That makes him the perfect collaborator on these films."

* On director Lauren Montgomery: "Lauren did such a great job on Wonder Woman, she was immediately my first choice for Green Lantern. I thought she might be a little burned out after the massive Wonder Woman project, but to my immense relief and gratefulness, she was eager to do it."

Nolan and BATMAN 3: FAR From a Done Deal?

Author: Jett
June 16, 2009
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When I got the chance to visit with David Goyer and Jonathan Nolan a year ago, one of the things I heard them tell us media folk was that they had to lobby and “convince” Chris Nolan to do THE DARK KNIGHT and they’d probably have to do the same thing for there to be a Nolan-helmed BATMAN 3.

Maybe the sale-job on Chris for a third BATMAN is going to be a really tough one this time.

Despite the fact that BOF has had some unofficial assurances that Chris would indeed return and direct a third BATMAN, industry scuttlebutt says – and has been saying – differently.

I’ve been told that while they desperately want another Chris Nolan BATMAN, Warner Bros. does have a shortlist of directors (Zack Snyder's reps told BOF that he wasn't interested) they’d consider and ultimately turn to if (and when) Nolan’s done with The Caped Crusader. And frankly, it certainly wouldn’t be prudent of them not to have such a list.

Several (and unrelated) industry friends of BOF have been telling me over the last year that it’s far from a given that Chris will do another one. And alarmingly, this one’s starting to pick up steam.

Case it point, a report I received from an old friend of the site overnight via email. This cat works in the business behind the camera and has proved to me long ago to be legit. With that said, this again is what I term “Industry Scuttlebutt,” so keep that in mind. Also, if any of my friends at Warner Bros. or reps of Mr. Nolan want to refute the following, you’ve got an open forum here. Anyway, according to our source…

* The death of Heath Ledger in January of 2008 rocked Mr. Nolan hard. So hard that Chris was convinced that TDK was going to be it for him and Batman on film.

* The Joker was going to return in BATMAN 3.

* “You are correct in reporting that he is developing story ideas with [Jonathan Nolan] and David Goyer, but it will be until AT LEAST 2012 before we see the Caped Crusader back [in theaters]. And that is only an EARLY ESTIMATE at best right now. They are even saying it might not be until 2013.”

* Basically, the BATMAN film franchise is back to square one. As far as a story or a BATMAN 3, “Right now, there is none,” says our guy.

Now, there was some other stuff that was off the record (mainly to protect our guy's identity), but really, it doesn’t affect the jest of this story. The bottom line here is that we may be a ways away from a BATMAN 3 -- with or without Chris Nolan.

Look, I want Mr. Nolan to return as much as anyone else and have TONS of respect for him, Emma Thomas, Charles Roven, David Goyer, Jonathan Nolan, and the rest of the folks who’ve given us the BEST two BATMAN films ever. But if Chris is done, then he’s done and I’m sure as hell not going to begrudge the guy. Despite the fact that I am a “Batman Fan” first and foremost, I’ve also grown to be a big Chris Nolan fan as well. BUT…

As a Batman fan, I certainly hope that Warner Bros. has a contingent plan in place – and one much better than the one they had back in the early 90s.

Despite the bummer vibe that permeates this report, let me remind you of the positives. One, Warner Bros. has not officially announced that Chris is done and the search is underway for a new Bat-director. Secondly, Nolan himself has admitted to “musing” with David Goyer about the storyline of a third film. And finally, the same industry scuttlebutt that produced today’s story also says that Chris’ deal with WB for INCEPTION included at least a handshake agreement for BATMAN 3.

Keep those fingers crossed Bat-Fans!

Writer reveals Green Lantern movie's progress and a few hints

Screenwriter Marc Guggenheim told SCI FI Wire exclusively that he has just completed a new draft of a proposed live-action Green Lantern movie, based on a script by him, Michael Green and Greg Berlanti.

"In fact, I'm ... delivering another draft today," Guggenheim (TV's Flash Forward) said in an exclusive interview on Friday. "So it continues to move forward."

The film is expected to be directed by Martin Campbell, who stepped in for Berlanti, and is slated to begin production at Australia's Fox Studios in Sydney this summer for a release on June 17, 2011.

Guggenheim confirmed that his script will focus on Hal Jordan, based on the Silver Age DC Comics incarnation of the superhero, and how he became a member of the Green Lantern Corps.

Beyond that, Guggenheim remained tight-lipped. "You know I really can't [say anything]," he said. "I've sworn a blood oath of secrecy in relation to the project. But, you know, the thing I can tell you is that it is a very loving and respectful approach."

Guggenheim added: "The goal here is to do the best cinematic representation of the Green Lantern character. You know, there's no desire on anyone's part to completely change the character and just call this other character Green Lantern and try to ... draft off the name recognition. This is all about 'How do we bring the best version of this character to the silver screen?'"

As for the movie's source material, Guggenheim said, "We've drawn heavily from ... a lot of different sources in terms of the comic books. ... The character ... is several decades old, so ... we've really had an incredible amount of source material to cherry-pick from."

As for casting of the iconic character, rumors have centered on such of-the-moment actors as The Hangover's Bradley Cooper and Star Trek's Chris Pine. None are true, Guggenheim said.

"They're all false," he said. "I mean, they're all false insofar as we haven't chosen anyone yet. They're still in the negotiations, you know? There's a lot of names being talked about, and there's a lot of people being met, and a lot of ... actors reading the script. But if you read online [that] Pauly Shore's been cast as Hal Jordan, I can guarantee you we have not cast anyone." That last rumor was a joke. We think.

As for the process, Guggenheim said, "It remains a lot of fun. It's such a great character, it's been a really great project so far."