The Batman: Caped Crusader animated series from Bruce Timm is no longer moving forward on HBO Max. The show was given a straight-to-series order in May 2021 with Batman: The Animated Series creator Timm at the helm, with the intent of re-imagining the Batman mythology. Former Captain America writer Ed Brubaker is the head writer on the show, with The Batman's Matt Reeves and JJ Abrams serving as executive producers.
The project was touted as a new, classic-style take on Batman, focusing on “sophisticated storytelling, nuanced characters and intense action sequences all set in a visually striking world.” Brubaker previously shared that he was excited to share what the series was cooking up, saying it was a "slightly more pulpy take" on Batman with a new way of looking at Gotham City. The show is set in the past, "but viewed through a modern lens," making it an unexpected surprise for audiences. However, as Warner Bros. Discovery has been cleaning house of late, including the Batgirl movie, it appears that another Dark Knight-themed project has hit the chopping block.
TV Line is reporting that Batman: Caped Crusader is no longer moving forward with HBO Max, along with five other animated projects, including Merry Little Batman; The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie; Bye Bye Bunny: A Looney Tunes Musical; Did I Do That To The Holidays: A Steve Urkel Story; and The Amazing World Of Gumball: The Movie. It's also being reported that all of these projects will continue production regardless, with an eye toward shopping to another network or streaming service, meaning there's still hope that they will be seen, just not on HBO Max. The latest animated film to be completely shelved by HBO Max was the Scooby-Doo movie Scoob! Holiday Haunt, along with numerous series being pulled from the platform.
After the cancellation of Batgirl, the dominoes began to fall on more and more HBO Max projects, from animation to live-action. The network is also pulling a number of animated programs from the service, including Aquaman: King of Atlantis, Uncle Grandpa, Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures, numerous Sesame Street specials, and more. No explanation was given for pulling many of these shows, but most of it appears to be in line with WBD's attempts to cut $3 billion from its operating budget before merging HBO Max with Discovery+, which means trimming out certain shows that may not be performing at the highest levels, or those that have even gotten a chance, such as Batman: Caped Crusader.
Warner Bros. Discovery is not making many new friends in the animation department at this juncture. Cutting out a Batman project involving Timm, Reeves, Abrams, and Brubaker means that no show is safe at this point, as that's long been hyped to be a welcome return to the Batman: TAS days of animation. Fortunately for Batman: Caped Crusader, it has a strong level of clout and known talent/IP behind it, while many of the other lesser-known, yet top-quality projects will have a tougher battle finding a new home.
Source: TV Line