Batman: The Long Halloween
Batman: The Long Halloween is based on the 1996 comics title of the same name by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale and produced by Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment. Part one was released on June 22, 2021 on digital download, DVD, and Blu-ray, with Part Two due to be released on July 27, 2021.
On 4th January 2019, website Revenge of the Fans revealed that Jensen is in the voice cast for an animated film based on the Batman: The Long Halloween comic. Jensen had previously mentioned the role to fans during a Meet and Greet at Salute to Supernatural Pittsburgh 2018.
The cast for the movie was finally released on 31 March 2021. Jensen's role as Batman/Bruce Wayne was confirmed along with Naya Rivera as Catwoman/Selina Kyle and Josh Duhamel as Harvey Dent. Naya Riveria had tragically died in July 2020.
The movie, and Jensen's performance, received very positive reviews.
I was nervous stepping into Joker, and I’ve done the gig before. Someone like Jensen [Ackles] coming in and going, “Holy shit, man! I’ve got my work cut out for me!” I really applaud him. He stepped into this role fearlessly and he delivered with excellence. It’s easier to pull of Batman. It’s paint by numbers with Batman to certain extent. It’s dark and menacing. But no one ever wrote the manual for Bruce [Wayne]. So every time you’re wandering around this boxing ring [going], “I don’t know what to do with this.” Because you don’t want to sound like a completely different person. You have to believe that it’s the same person. The fact in Part 1 the first line goes to Bruce is to me a very strong statement about how unique this story is. Jensen just knocked it out of the park. He threw the full brunt of his experience, passion, and talent behind this. I give him major props for how he delivered on this role.
– Joker voice actor Troy Baker, The Beat
It’s a great story and the voice acting was tremendous. I mean, it probably goes without saying but you have some amazing actors who are behind these voices. You have Jensen Ackles who I had the pleasure to work with when he was a star in Supernatural and a number of things. He’s always a pleasure to work with, he’s great as Batman. [...] You just had a great lineup of actors.
Let’s not move too far from Jensen for a second because the minute that they told me that he had agreed to do this, I knew we were in safe hands. Then we got to that first recording session and he delivered his first line which I think is something dumb that I wrote like “Is there coffee?” He’s waking up and he’s had a night. And with 3 words, the depth and complexity of that moment, he played that moment perfectly. He didn’t go for a joke, he just played it for real and I thought “oh gosh, we’re safe”. This is the way it is, always. Whenever you cast anyone in a big role like this you’re always hoping that they’re going to be able to do the thing and bring everything that they are to the role and make it right and make it sound right and sound right. And he’s a great actor, Jensen, and I don’t know if people even know of how great of an actor he is but he is a terrific actor. Not only is he just great to have around, he’s actually just a terrific guy but he’s got the goods and he’s been doing it for a while. Not to look at it because he is eternally youthful, that jerk, while the rest of us age. He had played Jason Todd in animation and he could bring the right level of youthfulness and angst. This is now Jensen a few years later and he got to bring a weightiness to Bruce that was earned by him; I think, in his career and his life. And while he’s still young, he’s still playing a young Batman. He gets to betray that at times with a real lived in, mature, sounding guy who’s got things to do. Jensen was the perfect casting and I’m just so, so grateful that we were able to get him.
– Screenplay writer Tim Sheridan, The Extras Podcast
I think everyone was blown away by the news that Jensen Ackles would voice Batman. Can you talk about what led to you enlisting him to play this version of the Dark Knight?
I think it was Wes [Gleason], our casting director, who had him as our most likely priority as far as what he felt would be a good Batman. I listened to Jensen and I’ve seen Supernatural, and right away, once I thought about it, I knew his voice would definitely fit our Batman. Especially the Batman we were looking for in his second year in that role. I thought it was a no-brainer, honestly, once Wes mentioned it.
– Producer Butch Lukic, ComicBookMovie.com
See also
- Batman
- Batman: Under the Red Hood
- Justice League: Warworld
- Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths
