Bane broke Batman’s back. Now somebody else has to wear the cowl.
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment used Batman Day to release the first official trailer for Batman: Knightfall Part 2: Knightquest, the second entry in its R-rated animated DC trilogy. The film arrives later this year, and the trailer picks up right where Batman: Knightfall Part 1: Knightfall left off, with Bruce Wayne paralyzed and Gotham wide open.
The man stepping in is Jean-Paul Valley, a.k.a. Azrael. And if you know the comics, you know he doesn’t play by Bruce’s rules. The footage makes that clear: a new Batman has to rise, the Bat-Family is stretched thin after Bane emptied Arkham Asylum, and Jean-Paul operates on a very different code from the original crime-fighter.
The official synopsis puts it bluntly: “Batman lies broken at the hands of the villainous mastermind Bane. With Bruce Wayne paralyzed from the waist down and unable to continue as Batman, a new successor must be chosen to defend Gotham City. Jean-Paul Valley, the man also known as Azrael, must take up the mantle of the Batman. But will his more violent methods be enough to stop Bane?”
The cast is back, with one mystery
Anson Mount returns as Bruce Wayne, with Pablo Schreiber voicing Jean-Paul and Michael Mando getting his second outing as Bane. Jack Griffo plays Tim Drake, a.k.a. Robin, Bruce Boxleitner is Commissioner Gordon and Simon Templeman voices Alfred Pennyworth.
The trailer also gives us our first look at Dick Grayson, a.k.a. Nightwing, wearing one of his more classic costumes from the comics. Who’s voicing him? Nobody’s said yet. That’s the one open question in a trilogy that’s part of a stack of Batman films and TV shows DC Studios currently has in the works.
Why the title matters
Knightquest isn’t a random subtitle. It’s lifted straight from the comic book arc, which makes it more likely that part 3 lands as KnightsEnd, the third sequel set to release sometime in 2027. The trilogy is following the source material’s roadmap, and that roadmap ends with Bruce coming for his mantle back.
Part 1 earned its follow-up. Batman: Knightfall Part 1: Knightfall is sitting at 92% on Rotten Tomatoes with a 94% audience score as of writing. It came out in late August, so a firm release date for part 2 will ideally be shared sooner rather than later.
Not the only R-rated Batman project this fall
DC Studios also has the live-action Clayface movie landing October 23, set in James Gunn’s DC Universe. James Watkins directs, and the theatrical feature centers on Matt Hagen, played by Tom Rhys Harries, and how he becomes the famous shape-shifting monster and one of Bruce’s most dangerous foes in the canon.
If you haven’t caught up, Batman: Knightfall Part 1: Knightfall is out now on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD. Batman: Knightfall Part 2: Knightquest follows sometime this year, and the trailer ends on the question the whole arc hinges on: whether Azrael’s version of Batman is the one Gotham can survive.
