Supernatural‘s Jensen Ackles is Batman in the upcoming animated flick Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One.
This marks the 43-year-old actor’s second turn in DC Animation following 2010’s Batman: Under the Red Hood. There, he played Batman’s former sidekick Jason Todd/The Red Hood himself. But he isn’t alone in this film when it comes to big stars.
Announced via The Hollywood Reporter, Jensen Ackles is also joined by late actress Naya Rivera, who is perhaps best known as Santana Lopez in Glee. Rivera tragically died in 2020, the cause of death declared as accidental drowning. She leaves behind her only son. The actress recorded her lines for The Long Halloween prior to her death, making this her final acting role.
Other cast members include Josh Duhamel as Harvey Dent, Billy Burke as James Gordon, Titus Welliver as Carmine Falcone, David Dastmalchian as Calendar Man, Troy Baker as Joker, Amy Landecker as Barbara Gordon, Julie Nathanson as Gilda Dent, Jack Quaid as Alberto, Fred Tatasciore as Solomon Grundy, and Alastair Duncan as Alfred.
Meanwhile, Greg Chun, Jim Pirri, Frances Callier, and Gary Leroi Gray provide additional voices.
Behind the scenes, much of the team who brought us 2020’s Superman: Man of Tomorrow are back for The Long Halloween, Part One. This includes Director Chris Palmer, Screenwriter Tim Sheridan, and producers Kimberly S. Moreau and Jim Krieg. Butch Lukic is Supervising Producer while Michael Uslan and Sam Register serve as executive producers.
Batman: The Long Halloween frequently makes Best Batman Comics lists. It is critically acclaimed as the definitive Batman story due to Jeph Loeb’s plotting and Tim Sales’ melancholy art. Yannick Belzil of The 11th Hour described the comic as “a complex murder mystery, but it’s also a Batman story” that is “unique to the characters”.
Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One is scheduled for release this Summer 2021. Meanwhile, the second part is coming out in the Fall.
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