Alongside the slate of upcoming releases and the new Warner Bros Animation logo, the studio has released the first trailer for Batman: Knightfall, and fans are impressed by how it adapts the art style of the iconic comics.
The project will be a trilogy of movies, mirroring the three storylines from the original DC comic book story arc from the early '90s. Batman: Knightfall Part 1: Knightfall premiered at the 2026 Annecy International Animation Film Festival this week and will get a public release later this year.
Knightfall is a trilogy of DC Comics storylines that ran from 1993 to 1994 written by Doug Moench, Chuck Dixon, Alan Grant, Dennis O’Neil, Peter David, Jo Duffy, Jim Aparo, Graham Nolan, Norm Breyfogle and Jim Balent. The series had a large rotating creative team, with notable contributions from Kelley Jones, who created several covers.
Set over around six months, the story sees Batman assaulted by super steroid-enhanced genius Bane, with wayward apprentice Jean-Paul Valley stepping in to replace him as and tarnishing his reputation in the process.
The animated movies will be directed by Jeff Wamester (Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths and the Guardians of the Galaxy series) and written by Jeremy Adams (Mortal Kombat Legends, Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons).
The trailer revealed stylised looks for Joker, Mr. Freeze, Scarecrow, Two-Face, and Riddler. Fans are showing a lot of love for the fresh designs compared to the Tomorrowverse era, and are particularly excited about how much the animation style appears to be faithful to Kelley Jones' artwork
"Adapting the story and artstyle directly is back on the menu, boys! Someone at Warner Bros Animation remembered their password to the old ways of doing things!" one DC fan writes on X.
This should be the first full adaptation of the Knightfall saga (Knightfall, Knightquest, KnightsEnd), unlike Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, which only borrowed elements. Fans are also pleased that Warner Bros. Animation is embracing a mature approach, allowing the brutality of Bane’s assault and Azrael’s violent methods to be shown without compromise.
The release date has yet to be announced.
