Amazon has acquired the animated film “Merry Little Batman” after it was previously scrapped at HBO Max.
“Merry Little Batman” has been picked up alongside the spinoff series, “Bat-Family.” The acquisitions follow the previously announced two-season order for “Batman: Caped Crusader,” which was similarly axed at HBO Max in 2022.
“We are excited to partner with Amazon to begin an all-new animated chapter of ‘Batman.’ From the cinematic noir storytelling of ‘Batman: Caped Crusader’ to the comedic adventures of ‘Merry Little Batman’ and ‘Bat-Family,’ these new projects ensure that there will be an animated Batman story ready to excite fans of all ages,” said Sam Register, president of Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios.
The animated family action comedy “Merry Little Batman” will extend the franchise’s holiday movie portfolio. After Damian Wayne is left alone in Wayne Manor on Christmas Eve, he transforms himself into “Little Batman” to safeguard his home and the rest of Gotham City from supervillains during the holiday season.
“Marry Little Batman” is produced by Warner Bros. Based on animation and characters from DC, the film is directed by Mike Roth from a screenplay by Morgan Evans. Roth also serves as executive producer, alongside Sam Register.
Its spinoff series, “Bat-Family,” will follow Batman, Alfred and a young Damian Wayne who now holds the title of “Little Batman” as they navigate the waters as a superfamily. Jase Ricci, Mike Roth and Sam Register are set to executive produce the series, which is produced by Warner Bros. Animation.
The move of all three projects to Amazon is in keeping with the Warner Bros. Discovery, and CEO David Zaslav’s, strategy of licensing out content that is part of WBD’s key IP to certain outside platforms. Under the past executive administration before Discovery’s acquisition of Warner Bros., such content was closely guarded and kept exclusive to Warner Bros.-owned platforms like HBO Max.
This is also Amazon’s latest foray into mainstream superhero content. The streamer is currently working on a suite of live-action shows based on the Marvel characters controlled by Sony, including “Silk: Spider Society” and a Spider-Man Noir show.