The more recent years in DC animated movies have shown fluctuating dips in quality despite being known overall for great animations, Batman included. Out of their DC Universe Original Movies line, Under the Red Hood and both parts of The Dark Knight Returns reign as some the absolute best they've done - and among Batman's movies in general.
With The Long Halloween, Part One out and having received a positive reception overall, and Part Two due out soon, a return to form is in the cards. The sequel to TLH, Dark Victory, seems worthwhile given the solid work DC's putting into its acclaimed predecessor's adaptation.
A Natural Sequel
In comic books, many could argue certain books are "indirect" sequels to others e.g. Three Jokers to The Killing Joke, and even The Long Halloween to Year One. It comes down to the premise and time period the writer chose for their particular work, but Dark Victory is a straightforward, natural sequel to TLH, namely since it consisted of the same creative duo - Jeph Lobe and Tim Sale - and the latter's events seamlessly transition into it.
The Long Halloween, Part Two isn't out just yet, but this first movie showed great care and respect in adapting the source material and suggests similar quality could be executed in a Dark Victory adaptation, after the upcoming, much-anticipated Injustice animated adaptation releases. DC wouldn't need much of an excuse to greenlight it as there's already a built-in audience for these brand of movies in general.
Retain TLH's Core Cast
DC could look toward a Dark Victory adaptation more realistically in part due to TLH's already stellar voice cast. Jensen Ackles proved his worth to the Batman universe by excellently portraying Jason Todd/Red Hood in Under the Red Hood, and his iteration of the Dark Knight himself fit like a glove. He's proven a perfect blend of a Batman maturing over the learning curves of Year One, but still fresh to the job.
Josh Duhamel put on a convincing performance as well as Harvey Dent/Two-Face, and not much needs to be said about Troy Baker's superb Joker thanks to Arkham Origins. Just as well, though, there'd be enough space to cast some fresh faces also. Like the audience, the core actors would already be built-in, alleviating some of the logistical work behind such a project.
Origin Of The Boy Wonder
Dark Victory also pinpoints a landmark in Batman's mythos by acting as an origin story for the first Robin, Boy Wonder - Dick Grayson. The comic book presents the most beautifully haunting panels depicting Grayson mourning his parents, and a modern animated adaptation of the original Robin would be a treat to see played out.
Likewise, it's a great opportunity to scout a new actor to add to the cast of a Dark Victory movie. He's among the most important members of the Bat-family, and a complement to a Batman that's growing alongside him. A movie could flesh out his screentime in a similar fashion to Catwoman in TLH.
Another 2-Part Adaptation
While the DC animated movies have built a reputation for being mostly great, they don't get the budgets of Hollywood-level productions. What they do with what they're given can be impressive, but movies like The Dark Knight Returns, Part One and Two turned out exceptionally in large part because the adaptation was allowed the screentime to breathe by spreading across two movies.
With TLH thankfully having followed suit, a potential Dark Victory project would likely be as effective in getting the same treatment. Since the events of TLH are the foundation of DV, the narrative structure is similar. It's a long, fleshed-out crime/mystery-thriller about as long as its predecessor, making it a treat for fans and a good excuse for DC to fill their slate with two more movies.
Tasteful Creative Liberties
It's true that these comic book adaptations often live and die by how respectful they are to the source material - and the likes of The Killing Joke and Hush were criticized by audiences over it - but some creative liberties in storytelling can pay off. If the likes of Tim Sheridan were to return for a Dark Victory movie(s), some original content could complement the story.
So far, audiences saw more from Selina Kyle thanks to original scenes made for TLH, so the same could work out for the sequel. It'd be particularly welcome if Robin were to benefit from extra screentime on top of his appearances in the comic.
More Detective-Oriented Stories
As being a direct sequel would suggest, Dark Victory's aforementioned detective-oriented crime-thriller plot structure is the foundation of the comic book. Batman has a few epithets e.g. Dark Knight, Caped Crusader, and World's Greatest Detective, but of those "defining" terms, the latter tends to get the least attention.
It's been vital before, namely in comics, but the live-action blockbusters either made little use of his sleuthing prowess or didn't show it at all - fans are hoping it'll change come 2022. An adaptation for this would at least bring more of his detective stories to screen and bring in some more attention. TLH understandably overshadows its sequel, but it arguably uses the mystery elements just as well.
Taking Advantage Of HBO Max
Like Marvel and Star Wars for Disney+, HBO Max is the main home for streaming DC content. With this to their advantage, the DC Universe Animated Original Movies line could get an amplified amount of exposure and popularity. Since The Long Halloween is the most recent major endeavor, it's likely both parts will collectively be put on Max sometime after the combined 4K physical release early next year.
If they manage to drum up a second wind in viewership on the platform, this could be an encouragement to invest in one more pair of movies in this world with the same core crew. Even better, it could finally force attention into giving bigger budgets and overall production value for DC's animated movies.
Return To Form For Animation Overall
These movies are ultimately one part of the animated works the comic giant produces, with TV being another. Its prominence has dwindled to a degree over time, but producing Dark Victory and combining it with HBO's platform, animation overall may get a deserved injection of popularity.
TV seems to suggest this, as My Adventures With Superman and Batman: Caped Crusader both are TV shows in development for HBO and Cartoon Network. The latter being spearheaded by Bruce Timm, J. J. Abrams, and Matt Reeves, it's clearly trying to usher in a second DC animated renaissance from the days of Batman: The Animated Series. Throwing Dark Victory into the mix could be striking while the iron's hot.
Haunted Knight Animated Shorts
Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's The Long Halloween form a loose "trilogy" of books. They were picked for TLH from their work on a series of Halloween specials for the Legends of the Dark Knight series, called Haunted Knight. They're a collection of three anthology stories, one with Scarecrow, one with Mad Hatter, and one with Poison Ivy and Joker. All supervillains set for The Long Halloween, Part Two, and these anthologies would make good animated shorts attached to a Dark Victory adaptation.
If DV were to be two parts, they could initially release one before the first, in between the first and second parts, and then finally after the second part. It's a good excuse to bring these bite-sized stories to the screen along with the "trilogy" finale, and a potential marketing tactic.
Loeb & Sale's The Long Halloween Special
DC announced that Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale are returning for a 48-page one-shot called The Long Halloween Special. Presumably riding the enthusiasm of their acclaimed original getting animated, it's set to be an epilogue to TLH that suggests digging up old secrets.
Much like the Haunted Knight anthologies, this special presents another hypothetical chance in leading into and promoting a Dark Victory animation. Depending on the time frame of the upcoming comic, it could be added at the end of a Dark Victory movie that brings the mystery full circle.