DC Studios and Warner Bros. Animation announced three new animated series at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, with projects centered on Batman, the Joker, and Superman's dog Krypto all moving forward in some form.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the announcements came during a joint DC Studios and Warner Bros. Animation presentation at the festival. DC Studios co-chairman and co-CEO Peter Safran appeared alongside Warner Bros. Animation president Sam Register. Deadline reported that James Gunn also joined Safran on stage.
The biggest news was the confirmation of an animated series adaptation of Absolute Batman, the comic book series written by Scott Snyder with art by Nick Dragotta. Snyder will serve as executive producer and showrunner on the series, with Dragotta as producer. The comic reimagines Bruce Wayne as a working-class hero rather than the billionaire of traditional lore. He lost only one parent, grew up in the projects, and is described by Deadline as a hero "up against impossible odds on a mission to prove that even in an era of wealth, power and corruption, one good person can change the world."
The comic has been a major commercial success since its 2024 launch. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the series has sold more than six million copies and reached its 11th printing on the first volume. The comic is also credited with helping DC overtake Marvel in market share for the first time this century.
The second announcement was the greenlight of Joker: Laugh Riot, which will be DC's first-ever anime series. The show is being produced by veteran DC animation producer Jim Krieg, whose past credits include adaptations of Watchmen and Crisis on Infinite Earths. Yasuhuro Aoki, who directed the animated feature ChaO for Studio 4°C and Toei, will direct. The production is a collaboration between Warner Bros. Animation, DC Studios, and SOLA Entertainment of Japan, whose recent credits include Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim and Rick and Morty: The Anime for Adult Swim.
The premise flips the Joker's usual role entirely. The official logline reads: "When Batman is murdered, the Joker launches a ruthless crusade through Gotham's underworld to find the killer who took away his greatest adversary. But as his violent quest for answers pushes him closer towards vigilante than villain, Joker is forced to confront the truth that without Batman, he doesn't know who he is." No network or streaming service has been announced for the project.
The third project is an untitled Krypto series aimed at younger audiences. It is being executive produced by C.H. Greenblatt, who created Chowder for Cartoon Network, Harvey Beaks for Nickelodeon, and Jellystone! for HBO Max. According to The Wrap, art shown at the Annecy panel depicted a comedy-focused, visibly goofy version of the superdog. The official synopsis describes Krypto tagging along with "a gang of misfit criminal wannabes who live down the block," with his "pure nature slowly end up redeeming them, whether they want it or not." No studio or streaming home has been set for that series either.
Krypto is not a new character. He first appeared in Adventure Comics #210 in 1955, and has had roles in live-action TV shows including Smallville and Superman and Lois. He appeared in last year's Superman film and has a prominent role in Supergirl, which opened in theaters this week.
The Annecy presentation also included updates on upcoming seasons of several existing DC animated properties, including Creature Commandos, Batman: Caped Crusader, My Adventures with Superman, Mister Miracle, DC Superpowers, and Starfire.
