Captain America writer, Ed Brubaker, has joined the Batman: The Caped Crusader animated series on HBO Max. Brubaker is a prolific comic-book writer, working on titles like Catwoman and Gotham Central for DC, and is best regarded for his work on Captain America with artist Steve Epting in the mid-2000s, where he re-invented Bucky Barnes as The Winter Soldier. That storyline was used as the basis for 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which had actor Sebastian Stan in the role. Brubaker left Marvel shortly after his Captain America run and has been working in the independent field for the last decade, creating hit titles like Criminal, Fatale, Kill or Be Killed, and more.
Batman: The Caped Crusader was announced in May 2021 and billed as an animated "reinvention of the Batman mythology." Bruce Timm, the chief architect of Batman: The Animated Series (alongside Eric Radomski) is the showrunner and executive producer for the series, with J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves also serving as executive producers. The series is said to be aiming for a very specific tone with “sophisticated storytelling, nuanced characters and intense action sequences all set in a visually striking world.”
Timm will now have some company in the writers room, as THR has revealed that Brubaker will be joining Batman: The Caped Crusader as head writer of the show, which is his first return to DC since 2006 when his run on Gotham Central ended. Brubaker credits the original Batman: The Animated Series as inspiration for his superhero writing career, saying that the show made him want to "write superhero comics in general, and Batman in particular." He credits Timm with shaping his writing tenure at DC and says he jumped at the chance to work with him, Reeves, Abrams, etc. on the show, saying:
Their vision for the show, with a slightly more pulpy take on the character, and a new way of looking at the world of Gotham, set in the past but viewed through a modern lens really sold me, and so far every part of it has been a blast to work on. I can’t wait until the rest of the world can see what we’ve been building the last few months in the writers room. All I can say is, it’s not what anyone is expecting … but in a good way.
It was also announced that the first season of Batman: The Caped Crusader would be 10 episodes in length, although no details were given as to when it would debut. The original Batman: The Animated Series from Timm and co. ran for two seasons, completing 85 episodes in total. The show won four daytime Emmy awards, as well as a primetime Emmy, and spawned a number of spinoff shows and movies, including Justice League, Superman, etc., featuring the same style, tone and talent that made Batman: The Animated Series so popular.
Having a writer of Brubaker's caliber on the show is a massive win for the creative team, especially given the creative direction they seem to be heading with it. Leaning into the pulpy noir aspects of the character and setting is the perfect playground for Brubaker, who has been writing similarly styled books for the last decade, making him a perfect addition to the team in terms of capturing that spirit. Brubaker has also proven time and again to have a grasp for larger-than-life thematic characters, be it Batman or Captain America, making his work on Batman: The Caped Crusader something to really look forward to.
Source: THR