A number of Batman theatricalfilms have been made. There have also been several attempted projects during the hiatus betweenBatman & Robin andBatman Begins.
Following the success of theFleischerSuperman cartoons,Fleischer Studios communicated withDC Comics over the possibility of adaptingBatman. The communication got to the point of budget discussions as illustrated in a letter dated January 25, 1942, and reproduced in longtime Batman executive producer,Michael E. Uslan's 2011 memoir,The Boy Who Loved Batman. However, it is unknown how far the production of this project went before being abandoned.[36]
A secondBatman Beyond film was planned for release, but was scrapped due to the controversy surroundingBatman Beyond: Return of the Joker.[37] Another mention ofBatman Beyond film was in 2017 by Bruce Timm[38] andJames Tucker, the latter saying that discussions about a possibleBatman Beyond film occurred several times at the studio.[39]
After the success ofBatman & Mr. Freeze: Subzero,Warner Bros. greenlighted the production of a third installment, entitledBatman: Arkham.Boyd Kirkland, the director of this film, was attached to write and direct. The film would have Batman and Robin facing off against a collection ofArkham Asylum escapees, in addition to Batman finding himself falling in love with a new love interest, planned to be voiced byAngie Harmon. The main cast ofBatman: The Animated Series was attached to reprise their roles.Steven E. Gordon also drew some art concept for the film. The film was ultimately cancelled in favor ofBatman Beyond: Return of the Joker (which also featured Harmon),[40] whileBatman: Arkham eventually became a successfulvideo game series by Rocksteady.
A second film ofThe Batman titledThe Batman vs. Hush that featuredHush as the main villain along with the Joker, thePenguin, the Riddler, Catwoman andClayface was planned for a long time. The film ended up being scrapped.[41] Before its cancellation, producerAlan Burnett had hopes of making one or two more DTV films based onThe Batman.[42]A similar film based onBatman: Hush ultimately came out in 2019 as part of theDC Animated Movie Universe.
In 2015, Bruce Timm expressed interest in an animated adaptation of theBatman R.I.P. storyline.[43]
Batman appears inTitans, portrayed byIain Glen. In his initial appearance in the first season, he is portrayed by stunt doublesAlain Moussi and Maxim Savarias.
Batman makes a cameo appearance in theNew Teen Titans short "Red X Unmasked", voiced byKevin Michael Richardson. Richardson also voiced Batman in thePlastic Man short "The Bat and the Eel" and theRiddler short "Riddle Me This!".
Batman makes primarily non-speaking appearances inTeen Titans Go!, voiced again by Kevin Conroy in the episode "Real Orangins".[2] Additionally, theBatman: The Brave and the Bold incarnation of the character appears in the episode "The Academy" via archival footage.[64]
An animated series that reimagines Batman characters as high school students,Gotham High, was in development in the late 2000s and early 2010s.[40][66] A similar idea was used for theDC Super Hero Girls 2015 shorts and the2019 animated series.
Both in the mid- and late 2000s, an animated TV show based on the "No Man's Land" storyline was put in development by producer James Tucker. Character designer Coran Stone worked on the project and made designs for the first version, but the project was ultimately scrapped for being "too dark", which led toWarner Bros. Animation andCartoon Network focusing onBatman: The Brave and the Bold instead. Another attempt was made and some artwork was made as well, but the project was also cancelled like the first attempt.[67][68]
There were plans to make an animated series featuring Batman and Superman. It would have been an origin story.[69]
Efforts were later made to launch a Batman radio series in 1943 and again in 1950, but neither came to fruition. The 1943 pilot "The Case of the Drowning Seal" was scripted with Scott Douglas as Batman; if the script was recorded, no copy survives. The September 1950 pilot forThe Batman Mystery Club was recorded withRichard Devon as Batman and Ronald Liss as Robin.[70]
A second Maggs production aired onBBC Radio 1 in 1994, this time adapting the comic book storylineBatman: Knightfall. It was adapted, produced and directed by Maggs—with music composed byMark Russell—who had also madeSuperman: Doomsday & Beyond onBBC Radio 5. This show, however, was not commissioned of its own, but rather to be three-minute episodes on the Mark Goodier Show. This meant it was written with a sense of immediacy, having to make an instant effect, and each three-minute segment contains a major plot development or sound effect stunt and ends on a cliffhanger. DC acknowledged the effort in an issue,Shadow of the Bat, by having villains jump past a sign reading "Dirk Maggs Radio".Michael Gough reprised the role ofAlfred Pennyworth from the Burton/Schumacher film series.
From 1943 to 1946, Batman and Robin appeared in a syndicated daily newspapercomic strip produced by theMcClure Syndicate. Other versions appeared in 1953, 1966, and 1989. The original run is collected in the bookBatman: The Dailies. One more comic strip series ran briefly after the success of the 1989 film.
Batman appears in a novel by cyberpunk/horror novelistJohn Shirley, titledBatman: Dead White, fromDel Rey. Many other novels and short story collections featuring Batman have been published over the years, including novelizations of each of the recent movies (such asBatman andThe Dark Knight Rises) and many of the comic book arcs.
There are also several more scholarly works, aimed at either Batman's history or art, such asLes Daniels'Batman: The Complete History,Will Brooker'sBatman Unmasked: Analysing a Cultural Icon and compilations such asBatman: Cover to Cover: The Greatest Comic Book Covers of the Dark Knight. In 2004,The Batman Handbook: The Ultimate Training Manual, written byScott Beatty was published by Quirk Books (ISBN1-59474-023-2). Written in the same style asThe Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook series, the book explained the basics on how to be Batman. Among the skills included in the book are "How to Train a Sidekick", "How to Execute a Backflip", "How to Throw a Grappling Hook", and "How to Survive a Poison Gas Attack". Finally, there are of course countless sticker, coloring, activity, and other children's books featuring the Dark Knight.[71]
Several musical singles featuring cast members of the television show singing in-character were released in 1966:Burgess Meredith as the Penguin in "The Capture" and "The Escape",Frank Gorshin as the Riddler in "The Riddler", andAdam West as Batman in "Miranda". In 1976 West performed a pair of novelty songs, "The Story of Batman" and "Batman and Robin", for Target Records. All six of these recordings (sans the b-sides to Gorshin and West's singles) were later included on the 1997 compilation,Batmania: Songs Inspired by Batman TV Series.
In 1966,Burt Ward also recorded a limited "disc jokey only" release withFrank Zappa called "Boy Wonder, I Love You".
Also in 1966, British novelty groupThe Scaffold produced a single called "Goodbat Nightman" (lyrics byRoger McGough, who "has written several poems" about Batman and Robin).[72]
Following the popularity of the Adam West television series, a pair of LPs were released in 1966 on MGM's "Leo the Lion" label with Jack Curtis portraying Batman and Ron Liss as Robin. The recordings proved popular due to their combination of dramatization and theBatman television theme music. More than 100,000 copies were shipped soon after the first LP was released.[73] Each album contained three dramatizations, including stories adapted from Batman comic books:
The Official Adventures of Batman & Robin:
The Legend of Batman and Robin
The Penguin's Plunder
The Joker's Revenge
More Official Adventures of Batman & Robin:
The Marriage of Batman and Batwoman
The Fake Boy Wonder
When Batman Became a Coward
Furthermore, in 1966, Batman and Robin appeared on an LP produced by Golden Records dramatisingBatman #73.[74]
Throughout the 1970s Batman was the subject of a number ofPower Records Book-and-record sets, as well as records unaccompanied by books:[75]
45 rpm book and record sets:
Batman: Stacked Cards
Batman: Robin Meets Man-Bat
7" 331⁄3 rpm records (no comic):
Batman: If Music be the Food of Death
Batman: The Scarecrow's Mirages
Batman: Catwoman's Revenge (1976)
331⁄3 rpm 12 book and record sets:
Batman: Gorilla City & Mystery of the Scarecrow Corpse
Batman (Collects Stacked Cards, The Scarecrow's Mirage, Challenge of the Catwoman, If Music Be the Food of Death)
Batman (Collects Robin Meets Man Bat, Gorilla City, Mystery of the Scarecrow Corpse, The Catwoman's Revenge)
A Super Hero Christmas (segment Batman: Christmas Carol Caper)
The 1980 mini-series,The Untold Legend of the Batman was available in a special "MPI Audio Edition." Each of the three issues were accompanied by an audio cassette containing a performance of the text of the issue, with musical cues.
As part of its DC Superheroes collection, in 1982Fisher-Price releasedBatman: The Case of the Laughing Sphinx, an audio cassette accompanied by a hard back illustrated book.
In 1996, Time Warner Records releasedBatman: Legends of Robin, an audio dramatisation of the issues of the comics featuring Robin in some form or another, which also featured Mark Hamill reprising his role as the Joker.[76]
In 2007, the audiobook publisherGraphicAudio licensed DC Comics properties to adapt as audiodramas. They have produced three adaptations of Batman novels:Batman: Dead White byJohn Shirley,Batman: Inferno byAlex Irvine, andAlan Grant'sBatman: The Stone King. Batman also appears as a supporting cast member in the GraphicAudio's adaptations ofCrisis on Infinite Earths,Infinite Crisis andJLA: Exterminators.
Harley Quinn and The Joker: Sound Mind is the second podcast released under the partnership between Spotify and Warner Bros. Released in early 2023, it featuresChristina Ricci as Harley Quinn andBilly Magnussen as The Joker.Justin Hartley also appears voicing Bruce Wayne.[84][85] In late 2023, the third Spotify–Warner Batman podcast,The Riddler: Secrets in the Dark, is scheduled for release. The podcast features an odd-couple team-up between Batman and The Riddler and stars Hasan Minhaj reprising his role fromBatman Unburied,[86] andColman Domingo replacing Winston Duke as Batman.[87]
Batman himself has most recently appeared in a podcast entitledDC High Volume: Batman, which, in contrast to the examples mentioned above, adapts story arcs from the comics, notablyYear One,The Long Halloween andDark Victory.[88]
Batman: The Enemy Within (2017) for Windows, MacOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, iOS, Android, and Nintendo Switch: The sequel toBatman: The Telltale Series (voiced by Troy Baker).[2]
Lego Dimensions (2015): Troy Baker reprises Batman in this multi-franchise game.The Lego Movie version also appears in this version voiced byWill Arnett. Batman is one of the three main heroes alongsideThe Lego Movie'sWyldstyle andGandalf ofThe Lord of the Rings as he works with them to rescue Robin from Lord Vortech. Additional content also includes an adaptation ofThe Lego Batman Movie.
DC Universe Online for PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One: AMMORPG where Batman, among others, trains new player-controlled heroes (voiced again by Kevin Conroy).[2]
Injustice: Gods Among Us (2013) for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii U, and Windows: A fighting game featuring several DC characters, including Batman (voiced again by Kevin Conroy)
Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure (2013) for Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One: A puzzle adventure game featuring Batman as a non-playable character.
Young Justice: Legacy (2013) for Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows: An action-adventure game featuring Batman as a non-playable character, voiced again by Bruce Greenwood.[2]
Injustice 2 (2017) for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One: the sequel toInjustice: Gods Among Us (voiced again by Kevin Conroy)[2]
Justice League VR: The Complete Experience (2017) features a driving, shooting level with the player taking control of Batman and the Batmobile to destroy simulated tanks in Gotham.[94]
DC Unchained (2018) for Android: A fighting game featuring several DC characters, including Batman.
Batman appears inDC Battle Arena, voiced by Christopher Escalante.[2]
Justice League: Cosmic Chaos (2023) for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC and Nintendo Switch: A video game based on the superhero team of the same name, with Diedrich Bader reprising his role from various DC media.[96][2]
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League (2023) for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and PC: A video game based on the anti-hero team of the same name. Batman is posthumously voiced by Kevin Conroy.[97]
Batman appears as a playable character inMultiVersus,[98] with Kevin Conroy reprising his role from various DC media.[99][100]
The 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System gameFinal Fantasy features "Badman", a character with strong resemblances to Batman, as one of the enemies of the final area.
The 2017 gameFortnite has Batman-themed cosmetics such asCatwoman and Batman outfits and aGotham City location in the map. This was added in honor of the 80th anniversary of Batman.[101][102]
In 1966,Adam West andFrank Gorshin went on a tour as Batman and the Riddler to promote the new Batman movie and the series. They were usually accompanied by several bands before the featured event that saw Batman and the Riddler exchange corny jokes as well as a song performed by West. The tour most famously stopped at Shea Stadium in New York on June 25, 1966[104] and City Park in New Orleans on November 26, 1966.[105]
While a parody of aBatmanmusical was featured in one of the most recent series' comics, in 2002,Jim Steinman,David Ives, andTim Burton had worked on a theatre production calledBatman: The Musical although it was ultimately cancelled. Steinman has revealed five songs from the musical. The first is the opening theme for "Gotham City" and the entry of Batman with his tortured solo "The Graveyard Shift"; followed by "The Joker's Song (Where Does He Get All Those Wonderful Toys?)", "The Catwoman's Song (I Need All The Love I Can Get)", "We're Still The Children We Once Were" (the climactic sequence) and "In The Land Of The Pig The Butcher Is King", sung by the corrupt blood-suckers ruling Gotham, covered on theMeat Loaf albumBat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose. These songs can be heard at theBatman: The Musical memorial site, Dark Knight of the Soul.
A Batman musical is also parodied in the animated seriesBatman Beyond. The episode "Out of the Past" (first aired October 21, 2000) opens with Bruce Wayne andTerry McGinnis attending a performance of (a fictional)Batman: The Musical, featuring caricatures of prominent members of theRogues Gallery (the Joker, the Penguin, Two-Face, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn). Series creatorPaul Dini, who wrote the episode in question, also wrote a song for the fictitious musical entitledSuperstitious and Cowardly Lot.
An episode of the sketch comedy showMADtv also featured aBatman: The Musical parody calledBatman V: Out of the Cave which starredTommy Tune as Batman, andBen Vereen as Robin.
A live stage show was also created, calledBatman Live: World Tour. The show is a unique fusion of live-action theatre, magic, stunts, digital projection and music from an 85-piece orchestra and choir. The tour began at Manchester, England, in Summer 2011 and visited arenas throughout the UK and Europe before arriving in North America in Summer 2012. Another stage play by the name of Batman Ninja the Show opened in Japan in November 2021, it adapts the Batman ninja film.
In 2012, the Internet theatre troupeStarKid Productions created a musical titledHoly Musical B@man!, which went on YouTube on April 13. It was performed in Chicago from March 16–25, and because of copyright laws, tickets were free.Batman is portrayed by Joseph (Joe) Walker.
The albumKnightfall by multinational Swedish bandSilent Images, is based on theBatman: Knightfall story arc, with Batman serving as a central character, the "Nightly Priest". The album explores the underlying sociopolitical themes in the Batman universe, and his struggle against "The Venomous One", which is the album's interpretation ofBane.[106][107][108]
Hundreds ofBatman action figures,die-cast models, and other items have been released. Many companies have acquired the rights to make Batman merchandise, including:
In 2006, theUnited States Postal Service (USPS) issued a DC Comics Superheroes pane of 20 stamps which included a stamp of Batman.[117]
To celebrate the 75th anniversary of Batman, USPS released a limited edition stamp series on October 9, 2014.[118] Four versions of the superhero were depicted from the four eras of comic book history: Golden, Silver, Bronze and Modern. In addition, it included four versions of the Bat-Signal.
SeveralSix Flags theme parks, formerly owned byWarner Bros., opened live-action "Batman Stunt Shows" as the movies increased in popularity. The now closedSix Flags Astroworld inHouston, Texas was home to a standing roller coaster known as Batman: The Escape.Six Flags Over Texas inArlington, Texas is home to two roller coasters calledMr. Freeze, andBatman: The Ride.Six Flags México inMexico City, Mexico has also a looping, suspendedroller coaster named Batman: The Ride (Six Flags St. Louis has the same ride, as doesSix Flags Great America inGurnee, Illinois) as well as twinroller coasters named Batman and Robin: The Chiller. On the latter attraction, riders may ride on either the Batman or Robin versions of the coaster. But unfortunately in the 2007 off-season, the ride was removed after a long history of technical difficulties and occasionally breaking down.Six Flags Over Georgia contains a Gotham City area that contains the same Batman: The Ride and also features a looping coaster called The Mindbender that was adapted to fit the color tone of theRiddler afterBatman Forever came out to fit theGotham City section of the park it shares with Batman: The Ride.Six Flags Magic Mountain inValencia, California has two Batman-themed coasters, the suspended coaster Batman: The Ride, and The Riddler's Revenge, a stand-up type roller coaster. This Six Flags park also features an entire themed area called "Gotham City" complete with architecture to match that of the fictional Gotham City.Warner Bros. Movie World in theGold Coast, Australia, also has two Batman-themed rides.Batman Adventure – The Ride, revamped in 2001, is amotion simulator style simulator ride whileBatwing Spaceshot is a vertical free-fall ride.
This articleis missing information about actors and their portrayal years. Please expand the article to include this information. Further details may exist on thetalk page.(February 2023)
List indicators
This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in portrayals by actors inBatman media. Characters are listed chronologically by first portrayal.
An empty grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's official presence has not yet been confirmed.
A indicates an appearance through archival footage or audio.
^abcdeThe character retains only part of their real name from the source material.
^abcdefgThe character's identity is not given but elements such as their story arc or relationships are consistent.
^abcdefghijkIn theJoker film continuity, the character's real name is Arthur Fleck.Cite error: The named reference "diffname" was defined multiple times with different content (see thehelp page).
^abcdefghij"Bruce Wayne (Young) Voices (Batman)". Behind The Voice Actors. RetrievedJune 20, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
^ab"Batman (Kid) Voices (Batman)". Behind The Voice Actors. RetrievedJune 20, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
^"Backstage – Rejected/Unproduced Series & Movie Pitches". Worldsfinestonline.com. n.d.Archived from the original on October 21, 2016.An animated series based on the acclaimed Batman comic storyline "No Man's Land" has been a popular premise, with multiple attempted made. The piece of artwork above, by character designer Coran Stone, is one of the more notable attempts. Stone said he was selected by producer James Tucker to do the character designs for a "No Man's Land"-based cartoon, but the project was ultimate scrapped since it was considered "too dark".
^"Backstage – Rejected/Unproduced Series & Movie Pitches". Worldsfinestonline.com. n.d.Archived from the original on October 21, 2016.A second attempt to create an animated series based on the "No Man's Land" comics was attempted, this time with a CG-animation bent to it. Also stalled for the dark premise, James Tucker would have been producer for this mid/late 2000s series. The design artwork above does not have an artist listed.
^Game Informer features a two-page gallery of the many heroes and villains who appear in the game with a picture for each character and a descriptive paragraph. See "LEGO Batman: Character Gallery",Game Informer 186 (October 2008): 92.
