Superman and Batman will be the stars of new series greenlit by HBO Max and Cartoon Network, WarnerMedia announced at its upfront presentation Wednesday.
Both superheroes come from DC Comics, another property of AT&T's WarnerMedia unit. AT&T agreed to sell WarnerMedia to Discovery after discovering the media business was like Kryptonite to a phone company.
WarnerMedia Kids & Family is also conjuring up two specials marking the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. One special is a quiz competition, the other a retrospective look at the boy wizard.
Batman: Caped Crusader is an animated series produced by Warner Bros. Animation, Bad Robot Productions and 6th & Idaho.
“It is always fun to feed the insatiable appetite fans have for all things Batman. Batman: Caped Crusader will entertain first time and die-hard fans alike and, with such an impressive creative team in place, we know we have another future Batman classic in the making,” said Tom Ascheim, president, Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics.
Bruce Timm, who created the Emmy award winning Batman: The Animated Series, is returning to Gotham City 30 years after that series premiered. Executive producing along with Timm are JJ. Abrams and Matt Reeves.
“Batman: The Animated Series was a masterpiece that shaped the perception of the character for an entire generation of fans. It is in that spirit that we are bringing together three master storytellers in J.J., Matt and Bruce – each with their own intuitive understanding and affection for the character – to create a new series that will continue in the same groundbreaking legacy,” said Sam Register, president of Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios.
My Adventures With Superman stars Jack Quaid as a 20-something Man of Steel, with his co-workers Lois Lane, played by Alice Lee, and Jimmy Olsen. The show is produced by Warner Bros. animation
“Superman has remained one of the most iconic and beloved Super Heroes in the world,” said Amy Friedman, head of kids & family programming at Warner Bros. “This fresh take from the Warner Bros. Animation team delivers a modern, relatable Clark Kent alongside a fearless, whip smart Lois Lane who are navigating the small tasks of both becoming adults and trying to save the world.”
My Adventures with Superman is produced by Warner Bros. Animation. Sam Register serves as executive producer. Jake Wyatt and Brendan Clogher are on board as co-executive producers with Josie Campbelas as co-producer.
The Harry Potter fan quiz competition will be a four-episode limited series. A play-along component will allow viewers to don their Hogwarts robes and wave their wands from home. The competition will be followed by a film retrospective.
The whole package will premiere on HBO Max, Cartoon Network and TBS later this year in the U.S.
“To celebrate the dedicated fans old and new who have passionately kept the Wizarding World magic alive in so many forms for decades, these exciting specials will celebrate their Harry Potter fandom in a must-see multiplatform TV event,” said Ascheim. “All Potter fans can gear up for this ultimate one-of-a-kind celebration by embracing their inner Hermione Granger and studying their Wizarding World knowledge. For fans who have always wanted to discover what it might be like to take the O.W.L. exams, this is as close as they are going to get!"
Robin Ashbrook and Yasmin Shackleton of The Old School will produce the four Wizarding World one-hour quiz competition shows. Casey Patterson of Casey Patterson Entertainment will executive produce the anniversary retrospective special.
