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Next Batman animated movie is an interactive film where you can kill Robin

Batman gets a Black Mirror: Bandersnatch twist.

Corinne Reichert Senior Editor
Corinne Reichert (she/her) grew up in Sydney, Australia and moved to California in 2019. She holds degrees in law and communications, and currently writes news, analysis and features for CNET across the topics of electric vehicles, broadband networks, mobile devices, big tech, artificial intelligence, home technology and entertainment. In her spare time, she watches soccer games and F1 races, and goes to Disneyland as often as possible.
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Corinne Reichert
2 min read
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An interactive animated Batman movie is in the works.

Warner Bros.

The trailer for Batman: Death in the Family is out now from DC, and it's got a Black Mirror: Bandersnatch twist to make the movie interactive. The film is an animated retelling of 2010's Batman: Under the Red Hood, CNET sister site Comicbook.com reported Tuesday, but this time you get to choose what happens next -- including whether Batman's sidekick Robin dies.

DC did the same thing back in the '80s, when it let fans decide whether Robin lives or dies in the comics by calling a 1-900 number. This led to the original Death in the Family storyline where Jason Todd/Robin was beaten to death by The Joker and subsequently resurrected as the Red Hood vigilante.

Warner Bros. Animation says the animated movie will consist of five shorts -- also including Sgt. Rock, Adam Strange, Death and The Phantom Stranger -- and will launch on Blu-ray for $25 and digital for $20 on Oct. 13. You'll get to choose Batman's adventure via your remote control, and the movie has several different endings.

"In the new animated presentation, the infamous murder of Batman protégé Jason Todd will be undone, and the destinies of Batman, Robin and The Joker will play out in shocking new ways as viewers make multiple choices to control the story," Warner Bros. said in a statement.

Batman will be voiced again by Bruce Greenwood, young Jason Todd by Vincent Martella, The Joker by John DiMaggio, Talia al Ghul by Zehra Fazal and Two-Face by Gary Cole.

"Batman: Death in the Family is essentially a comic book come to life," said Brandon Vietti, the producer, directer and writer. "From the very first navigation card, we wanted to give the audience an impression of what they're getting into, but then also give them something unexpected -- maybe even something they'll regret, so they have to think twice about every future choice they make." 

Read more: Every streaming service ranked: Disney Plus vs. Netflix vs. Amazon Prime vs. Peacock vs. Hulu 

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