The forthcoming animated DC Universe film, Batman: Death in the Family, will allow viewers to choose their own adventure... and potentially kill Robin. Already a busy year for the super studio, having released Superman: Red Son and Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, it will round out 2020 by releasing both this innovative Batman tale and Superman: Man of Tomorrow, which offers a new take on Superman's origins. The latter is set to be available digitally on August 23, and on Blu-Ray and DVD on September 8.
Adapted from the 1988 comic of the same name, the Death in the Family story follows the death of the second Robin, otherwise known as Jason Todd, and his murder at the hands of the Joker. The film, which will serve as a prequel of sorts to 2010's Batman: Under the Red Hood, will see the return of various voice actors, including Bruce Greenwood as Batman, Vincent Martella as Jason Todd, and John DiMaggio as Joker.
In the exclusive trailer released by IGN earlier today, it was revealed that Death in the Family, an interactive short film and the first of its kind for DC Animated's canon, will give viewers a choice at a number of checkpoints over the course of its runtime. Particularly pivotal decisions will relate to Jason, like the ability to change his long-term fate, but mainly, the dilemma between advancing the story by saving Jason or killing him. Much like Netflix's Bandersnatch, which also followed the "choose your own adventure" model seen here, your selections in these varying quandaries will somewhat shape/alter the film's plot moving forward. And though your decision here won't impact the events that unfold in Under the Red Hood, where Jason's death serves as a crucial plot point, it certainly allows room for one's imagination to run.
Interestingly, the film's interactive component calls back to when DC allowed fans to vote on whether or not Jason would live. The publisher created a 1-900 number for fans to call in and vote to impact the comic's eventual story. In that instance, the nays had it, and the second iteration of Batman's trusty sidekick perished. He was eventually resurrected in Under the Hood, but viewers of the new film will now have a say, of sorts, as to exactly how he returns.
The trailer gives us a bit of an idea as to where fans might find themselves cornered into a vital and pressured decision. A shot in the trailer is layered by block letters that read, "HOW IT ENDS IS UP TO YOU." What's particularly intriguing is the way this film might play with its existing IP and storyline. Bandersnatch let viewers directly impact a brand new story in surprising, some of which led to the unanticipated demise of a crucial character (and, therefore, a premature end to the journey).
What might come of Death in the Family's original tale, at least in an immediate, one-time sense? Will all decisions remain faithful to trials Bruce Wayne and Jason Todd have already experienced? Or will they embrace the innovation teased in the trailer, and truly leave it all up to the person holding the remote? Batman: Death in the Family will be released on Blu-Ray and digital platforms this fall.
Source: IGN