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Batman: Caped Crusader "More Like 'Week Two'": Bruce Timm Talks Series

Bruce Timm on Batman: Caped Crusader offering a "weird" & "spooky" Dark Knight, a new take on Alfred, and a spotlight on Batman's "Week Two."

In this reimagined take on The Dark Knight, Gotham City is about as corrupt of a city as you'll find – where criminals run rampant and law-abiding citizens live in a constant state of fear. That's where wealthy socialite Bruce Wayne comes in – taking his tragic childhood pain and using it to become something both more and less than human – The Batman. But though his one-man crusade for justice will earn him some unexpected allies within the GCPD and City Hall, it isn't long before his heroic actions are met with some very deadly and unexpected not-so-heroic reactions. That's where things stand with executive producers Bruce Timm, J.J. Abrams, Matt Reeves, Ed Brubaker, and Sam Register's Batman: Caped Crusader heading into the first season of the animated series – set to hit screens on August 1st. Speaking with Empire, Timm offered some insights into where Bruce Wayne is in his crimefighting timeline when we're introduced to him. In addition, he discusses Batman having a "weird" and "spooky" vibe and the different roles that Alfred will play in Batman's nocturnal activities.

Viewers Should Expect "Batman: Week Two": "Batman is so early in his career that in the first episode, he's still an urban myth. It's not 'Year One [a nod to Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli's origin comic series].' It's more like 'Week Two.'"

Batman Isn't Looking to Make Anyone Feel Comfortable: "I wanted to make him kind of weird and spooky. If you're stuck in a room with Batman, whether you're Commissioner Gordon or Barbara Gordon or Renee Montoya, you don't feel comfortable. You're kind of like, 'What is this guy? What's this all about?'"

Alfred Will Be More Than Batman's "Surrogate Father" In This Series: "He [Bruce Wayne/Batman] weaponises Alfred. He's not Batman's surrogate father anymore. He's a guy that's going to enable him to fight crime. That's how focused [Bruce] is. It's a weird take on him. But it's something I don't think we've seen before."

The cast for the animated series includes Hamish Linklater (Midnight Mass) as Batman/Bruce Wayne, Jamie Chung (Lovecraft Country) as Harley Quinn, Christina Ricci (Yellowjackets) as Catwoman/Selina Kyle, and Diedrich Bader (Office Space) as Harvey Dent/Two-Face. In addition, the cast includes Minnie Driver, Eric Morgan Stuart, Michelle C. Bonilla, Krystal Joy Brown, John DiMaggio, McKenna Grace, Jason Watkins, Paul Scheer, Reid Scott, Gary Anthony Williams, Dan Donohue, David Krumholtz, Haley Joel Osment, and Toby Stephens.

Thanks to Entertainment Weekly's interview with Timm, we're learning some details about what viewers can expect when the series hits Prime Video screens this August (and getting a chance to check out the amazing animation style with the release of preview images). One thing that the Batman: The Animated Series co-creator wants to make clear to fans of the original animated series is that "Caped Crusader" is taking things in new directions. "James [Tucker, character designer] and I are both really big fans of movies from that era, so we decided to really lean into that in terms of the clothes, the cars, the architecture, and the level of technology," Timm shared about the '40's-set series. "Early on, we decided there would be no computers and no cell phones. That changed everything."

In terms of their reference points & inspirations, Timm & Tucker looked to '40s noir films as well as the Batman comics that were published during that time period. But in wanting to present viewers with yet another unique take on The Dark Knight's universe, Timm & Tucker also went down some new paths with a number of familiar characters. For example, Harley Quinn is now Dr. Harleen Quinzel, an Asian-American private psychiatrist in Gotham City – no Arkham Asylum assignments here. And guess who is one of her patients? Yup, Bruce Wayne – so just imagine the possibilities there. In fact, Timm teases that this take on Harley will see the character utilizing some of the psychiatric tools her daytime persona has up her sleeves.

Another promising change is that this Harley isn't coming onto the animated series' scene with any Joker baggage – allowing her to be her own person right out of the gate. "I co-created the character, so I have a lot of love and affection for her, but I thought there might be something interesting about bringing her on the show, just not as Joker's girlfriend," Timm shared. "So how do we do that? A big part was just doing a basic flip. The original Dr. Quinzel was a little bit more serious, and then when she became Harley, she got really goofy and weird. So we thought, what if we reverse that? When she's Dr. Quinzel, she's a little bit more whimsical and fun, and then when she's Harley Quinn, she's scary."

"'Batman: The Animated Series' helped pioneer in the evolution of superhero storytelling and defined the Dark Knight for a generation," said Vernon Sanders, head of television, Amazon & MGM Studios, in a statement when the two additional Batman universe series were announced back in April. "'Batman: Caped Crusader' will no doubt continue that tradition and, alongside 'Merry Little Batman' and 'Bat-Family,' we're thrilled to collaborate with Warner Bros. Animation to offer a variety of takes of the Batman mythos to our global Prime Video customers." The animated series is based on characters from DC and is produced by Warner Bros. Animation, Bad Robot Productions, and 6th & Idaho.

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