Last year, Warner Premiere released an animated adaptation of Frank Miller‘s popular graphic novel, Batman: Year One.  However, the popularity of that book pales in comparison to one of the most influential comics of all-time, The Dark Knight Returns.  Along with Watchmen, Returns was a major deconstruction of the superhero genre, and pushed it into a more violent and gritty direction.  Miller’s take on the Batman universe showed Dark Knight as more of a fascist than a hero (you can skip Miller’s atrocious sequel series, The Dark Knight Strikes Again).  Although Christopher Nolan has eschewed a comic-book tone with his Batman movies, he has retained the themes of Miller’s 1986 comic.

Today, THR reports that WP is moving forward with an animated adaptation of The Dark Knight Returns, and that they will split the feature into two-parts.  Hit the jump for more including the film’s voice cast.

This weekend, New York Comic-Con attendees got a first look at the trailer for the upcoming animated feature Justice League: Doom as well as the opening scene from Green Lantern: The Animated Series.  I like that Doom is bringing back almost all the voice actors from Justice League, but the trailer is mostly just action scenes and corny one-liners.  Also, I didn’t realize the new Legion of Doom is six people, which is kind of dinky when compared to the twenty or thirty featured in Justice League Unlimited.  Green Lantern looks more interesting since right from the get-go we’re introduced to members of the Red Lantern Corps.  It may be a bit confusing to those who don’t know the character beyond this summer’s disappointing blockbuster, but I assume there will be some kind of exposition in the hour-long premiere.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer and the opening scene.  Justice League Doom is due out on Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD in early 2012.  Green Lantern: The Animated Series premieres November 11th at 7/6c on Cartoon Network.

Warner Bros. has announced that New York Comic-Con attendees will be the first to see the 15-minute animated short Catwoman.  The short will be attached to the upcoming Blu-ray of Warner Premiere’s animated adaptation of Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One.  Tommy had some mixed feelings about the film when he caught it at Comic-Con, but it’s a nice bonus for fans that WP will be throwing on a 15-minute short film.  Eliza Dushku provides the voice of Catwoman in both the short and the feature.

Attendees will also get to see the first footage from Warner Premiere’s next DC Universe animated film, Justice League: Doom.  The presentations will be part of Warner Premiere’s panel on October 14th from 3:00-4:00pm.  The panel will also include the one true voice of Batman, Kevin Conroy, as well as executive producer Bruce Timm and casting director Andrea Romano.  Hit the jump to check out the first image from Catwoman as well as the full press release.  Batman: Year One hits stores on October 18th.

Warner Premiere, the Warner Bros. division that handles the direct-to-DVD animated superhero films, has released a trailer for Batman: Year One.  The film is based on Frank Miller’s acclaimed 1987 comic miniseries of the same name.  As if the title didn’t give it away, the film focuses on the Caped Crusader’s first year as a costumed vigilante.  The trailer looks interesting and Warner Premiere did an alright job with last year’s Batman: Under the Red Hood.  This time around, Batman will be voiced Ben McKenzie (Southland) with Bryan Cranston as Detective Gordon, Eliza Dushku as Catwoman, and Katee Sackhoff as Gordon’s love interest, Detective Sarah Essen.  While McKenzie sounds fine, I always hear Kevin Conroy (from Batman: The Animated Series) as the proper voice of the Dark Knight.  Thankfully, he’s reprising the role for Batman: Arkham City.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  Batman: Year One will premiere at Comic-Con and hit stores sometime this fall.

Bryan Cranston, Ben McKenzie, Eliza Dushku, and Katee Sackhoff will provide voice work to Warner Premiere’s upcoming animated adaptation of Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli’s acclaimed graphic novel Batman: Year One.  Heat Vision reports that Cranston will voice a young liutenant James Gordon, while McKenzie is Wayne/Batman. Dushku will provide the voice for Catwoman, and Sackhoff is Gordon’s love interest, Detective Sarah Essen.  The PG-13 feature is set to stick fairly close to the comic with executive producer Bruce Timm revealing, “It a pretty straight forward literal retelling.  Mazzucchelli’s artwork is beautifully composed and we were able to refer to the comic for about 80 percent of the camera setups.”

You can check out the first images from the film after the jump.  Batman: Year One will hit stores this fall but will make its debut at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con.

If I didn’t tell you the first clip from the upcoming web-series Mortal Kombat: Legacy (based off last year’s popular short Mortal Kombat: Rebirth) was from Mortal Kombat: Legacy, you would likely never figure it out.  There’s no special moves, no gore, or any other trademark the Mortal Kombat video games are known for.  It looks like a scene from the world’s most generic action movie so I assumed at some point a person would break the fourth wall and ask me to please silence my cell phone.

Hit the jump to check out the clip, but if you’re expecting bionic arms or heart-ripping fatalities, you’re going to be sorely disappointed.  Mortal Kombat: Legacy premieres April 12^th on Machinima.com.

Earlier today, Warner Premiere announced the development of its live-action Mortal Kombat digital series.  Directed by Mortal Kombat: Rebirth creator Kevin Tancharoen (who also directed the 2008 dance film Fame), the web series will begin shooting in Vancouver next month and will be available through online retailers this spring.  Per the press release from Warner, the series will “take gamers deep into the history of warriors they know and love.”  As for those warriors, the release cites characters such as Scorpion, Johnny Cage, and Liu Kang as key members of the series (no love for Sonya Blade?).

For more on the upcoming series, hit the jump to check out both the press release and the Mortal Kombat: Rebirth short.

Superman/Shazam: The Return of Black Adam is the latest animated short to be released by the folks in charge of the DC Animated Universe. The Man of Steel, in his Clark Kent guise, is doing a newspaper piece on Billy Bastion, a young orphan with a heart of gold who tries to always see the good in the world. It is this eternal optimism that has also piqued the interest of a mystical being known as the Wizard Shazam. Unbeknowst to Billy, he has been marked by the Wizard in order for him to keep an eye on him. This mystical mark though is also acting as a beacon for the Wizard’s greatest failure, Black Adam.  Continued after the jump:

James Denton (Desperate Housewives) , Christina Hendricks (Mad Men), and Golden Globe-winner Anthony LaPaglia (Without a Trace) will each be voicing characters in the upcoming Warner Premiere/DC Comics animated film adaptation of All-Star Superman.  Written by Grant Morrison and drawn by the always great Frank Quitely, All-Star is a multiple award-winning DC mini-series (three Eisners, two Harvey, and three Eagle awards) that just happens to be one of my personal favorites as well.  From Heat Vision, Denton will be voicing ol’ Kal-El himself (Note: that’s Superman) with Hendricks lending her pipes to Lois Lane and LaPaglia taking on the Man of Steel’s number one foe, Lex Luthor.  Also voicing characters in the film are Ed Asner as Perry White, Frances Conroy as ‘Ma Kent, as well as Linda Cardellini (ER), Arnold Vosloo (G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra), and Matthew Gray Gubler (Criminal Minds).

The film is due to be released on DVD/Blu-ray in Spring 2011 with a PG-13 rating intact.  Per usual, legendary artist Bruce Timm will be exec. producing the project.  Finally, did I mention All-Star Superman is a personal favorite read of mine?  Well, I’ll try and put it another way: if you haven’t read the 12-issue run and you have any interest whatsoever in Superman and/or great storytelling, do yourself a favor and check out All-Star Superman.  I don’t think you will be disappointed.