The first trailer for the highly anticipated animated adaptation Teen Titans: The Judas Contract is finally here! And boy was it worth the wait. This slightly grown-up version of the fan-favorite Teen Titans series takes on not only the villainous Deathstroke the Terminator, but also the machinations of the organization known as H.I.V.E. There are some moments in this trailer that are pulled right from the pages of DC Comics, so it looks to be a crowd-pleaser for fans of the original stories and of DC's excellent animated adaptations.

Christina Ricci and the late Miguel Ferrer will star as Terra and Deathstroke in the DC Universe Animated Original Movie directed by DC movie veteran Sam Liu (Justice League vs Teen TitansBatman: The Killing Joke). Sean Maher as Dick Grayson/Nightwing, Kari Wahlgren as Starfire, Jake T. Austin Blue Beetle, Taissa Farmiga as Raven, Brandon Soo Hoo as Beast Boy, and Stuart Allan as Robin, are all returning to the voice cast. Ernie Altbacker (Green Lantern: The Animated Series) wrote the screenplay.

Check out the first trailer for Teen Titans: The Judas Contract below:

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Originally printed as a four-part storyline that concluded in 1984, writer Marv Wolfman and penciller George Perez‘s The Judas Contract storyline saw the title teen heroes facing betrayal by one of their own, who had secretly partnered up with the mercenary Deathstroke in order to defeat the team. It was a culmination of a long-running arc of stories and is widely considered to be the creative team’s best work on the title. It was previously adapted by the mid-2000s Teen Titans series, which obviously left out some of the more adult aspects seen in the comics. It remains to be seen whether or not the animated feature film will play up this angle.

Teen Titans: The Judas Contract is more inspiration than literal adaptation of the story, especially since Cyborg is now a member of the Justice League in the comics and animated movies; Blue Beetle will step in as a new character on the team. Those slight changes will likely be accepted by fans who have been waiting for nearly 10 years to see this movie in its finished form; it was originally announced as part of the DC animated movies line-up in 2007 but was delayed so the studio could focus on more famous characters.

But thanks to a surging popularity in the team due to Cartoon Network’s Teen Titans Go and Deathstroke’s heightened presence in recent years on both Arrow and as a main villain in the upcoming solo Batman film, now’s the perfect time for Teen Titans: The Judas Contract to hit the scene.

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Image via DC Entertainment
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Image via DC Entertainment

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