Because William Shatner was on Star Trek during Adam West’s run as Batman, the world was deprived of the chance to see Shatner become one of the Caped Crusader’s villainous fiends. But this injustice will stand no more! At New York Comic Con, Warner Bros.’ animation producer Sam Register made the announcement that Shatner has signed on to play Harvey Dent/Two-Face in Batman ’66 vs. Two-Face, a new animated movie.
Batman ’66 vs. Two-Face is the previously unannounced sequel to Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders, an upcoming animated film that reunites West with his co-stars, Burt Ward and Julie Newmar for a feature length adventure in an even more exaggerated take on the ’60s era Dark Knight. Of course, back then, Batman was far too good to ever be called “dark.” That was part of his charm.
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In his younger years, Shatner was actually a great visual match for Harvey Dent, and the prospect of Shatner and West attempting to out-act each other is just about perfect. Two-Face was one of the rare Batman villains who wasn’t featured on West’s show, although sci-fi legend Harlan Ellison wrote an unproduced script that would have introduced Dent’s malevolent alter ego.
Warner Bros. seems to be pretty confident that Return of the Caped Crusaders will be worthy of an immediate sequel. That movie is getting a limited theatrical release on Monday, October 10; and it will be available digitally on the 11th. Fans can pick it up on DVD and Blu-ray on November 1. Batman ’66 vs. Two-Face is expected to be released in 2017.
Are you looking forward to hearing Shatner and West share the Bat-stage? Let us know in the comment section below!