Warner Bros. Animation has finalized the voice cast for its upcoming DC movie, Batman: Soul of the Dragon. The DC Extended Universe is arguably smaller than the MCU, but when it comes to animated features, DC's Animated Original Movies have a vice grip on the industry. Since 2007, DC has dominated the realm of animation with dozens of features, most of which squarely focused on the Caped Crusader. Recently, DC was turning to adapting comic book arcs, like Batman Hush, to tell its animated tales about its introspective Dark Night, but Batman: Soul of the Dragon is an original story not specifically based on a story from the comics.
Batman: Soul of the Dragon breaks away from the franchise's gizmos and tech-savvy grind for a 1970s-set animated feature in which the Dark Night attempts to uncover the mystery of his missing martial arts trainer. During his early years, Bruce Wayne had trained under a martial arts master along with Bronze Tiger, Lady Shiva, and Richard Dragon. His sensei, however, mysteriously disappeared after the completion of training, and he hasn't been heard from since. But now, a cursed relic has resurfaced and it is linked to the decades-old-disappearance of Bruce's trainer. In Soul of the Dragon, Batman will trade off his signature Batmobile and Batarang for his martial arts skills and fight alongside his former classmates in order to regain control of the relic.
Although it's only been a month since the movie's announcement, DC and Warner Bros. Animation has already finalized a voice cast for Batman: Soul of the Dragon. As confirmed by THR, the movie has cast David Giuntoli as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Mark Dacascos as Richard Dragon, Kelly Hu as Lady Shiva, Michael Jai White as Ben Turner/Bronze Tiger, James Hong O-Sensei, and Josh Keaton as Jeffrey Burr. The film is being helmed by Batman: The Killing Joke director Sam Liu, while Lego DC Batman: Family Matters' screenwriter Jeremy Adams is penning the script. Batman: The Animated Series' Bruce Timm, as it's been previously confirmed, is executive producing the flick alongside Liu. The movie is set to release direct-to-video in 2021.
While Soul of the Dragon does not follow a particular Batman story from the comics, the film is allegedly inspired by Dennis O' Neil's comic book series Richard Dragon: Kung-Fu Fighter. It was in Neil's comics series that the vigilante anti-hero Bronze Tiger, the thief-up-to-good Richard Dragon, and the assassin-for-hire Lady Shiva made their DC debuts. Along with Batman, Dragon, Shiva, and Tiger are all regarded as the best martial artists across the DC Universe, and their affiliation with Batman has also been highlighted independently in various DC presentations. Batman: Soul of the Dragon will now inevitably delve into Batman's past with these characters.
Batman: Soul of the Dragon has also locked brilliant, diverse names for its character's voice overs. Kelly Hu stands true to her character's Asian origins, while Mark Dacascos - who is a real-life Kung Fu champion - nods to Richard Dragon's martial arts career. Michael Jai White's return as Ben Turner/Bronze Tiger is a treat for Arrow fans who've been disheartened by the end of their favorite show. A Million Little Things' David Giuntoli is a unique choice for Bruce Wayne, too, although the movie could have made the bold choice and cast an actor of color to play Batman as well. Overall, the starry roster of actors is a fine addition to an already exciting movie.
Source: THR
from ScreenRant - Feed https://ift.tt/3ixyI0H
0 Comments