Warner Bros. has released the first trailer for the upcoming anime movie "Batman Ninja," and it shows one of the best looking caped crusaders to date.
As the title implies, the upcoming movie revolves around a ninja version of Batman in Japan. Some of the most popular characters in the Batman universe are included in the movie, including, Robin, Catwoman, Nightwing, Red Robin, and, of course, Alfred.
As expected, a bunch of villains will also appear in the movie, including his arch nemesis the Joker, Harley Quinn, Penguin, Two-Face, and Poison Ivy.
The characters will all find themselves transported to Japan in the Middle Ages. Here, Batman needs to find a way to stop the Joker's plans in order to prevent him from altering the future of the world.
The project was first announced by Warner Bros. back in October. At the helm of the movie is director Jumpei Mizusaki, who is best known for producing "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" and for his animation work on a number of Mega Man video games.
The artwork of "Batman Ninja" was created by Takashi Okazaki, who is also the creator of "Afro Samurai." The trailer gives a glimpse of how Okazaki overhauled one of the most iconic comic book superheroes to fit the Japanese theme, and it looks awesome. However, it's not just Batman that gets a makeover in the movie. All of the other characters get similar redesign treatments as well.
Batman and its lore has always been tied to the Japanese world of ninjas. His use of stealth and theatrics are rooted in the ways of the ninja, as explored in the excellent "Batman Begins" film by Christopher Nolan.
"Batman Ninja" is set to get a theatrical release in Japan sometime in 2018. Unfortunately, Warner Bros. has not announced when the film will be arriving in the United States.
