Following the success of Batman: Arkham Asylum and Arkham City by Rocksteady Studios it’s no wonder another sequel would be in the works. Arkham City sold 6 million units in its first month; more than even Arkham Asylum’s total 4.3 million sold overall. However, according to Variety the next sequel might just be a prequel.
The prequel would be set in the Silver Age of DC’s comic books from the 1950′s. These Silver Age comics saw Batman team up with various other DC heroes such as Superman, Green Lantern and others who ultimately founded The Justice League of America. According to the article this prequel will center around Batman’s first encounter with The Joker.
Go ahead, name them all!
This direction seems to come from a mandate set by DC to further monetize their iconic superhero lineup through films, games, TV series and cartoons. This shouldn’t come as a surprise after seeing the various Marvel titles, including the $1.5 billion ‘The Avengers’ brought Marvel and Disney at the box office. No wonder DC and Warner Bros. want a piece of that pie.
With a slew of other operations in the works, DC Comics appears to be gearing up towards an inevitable The Justice League of America (JLA) movie. As part of their efforts to introduce the JLA to the mainstream, multiple projects are already in effect as well as many more planned. The Batman movies directed by Christopher Nolan and The Green Lantern by Martin Campbell have already been released and there is reportedly a The Flash and Wonder Woman movies in the works. Outside of the big screen the direct-to-DVD Justice League: Doom movie released in February, Cartoon Network launched a new DC Nation programming block, the New 52 saw the reboot of The Justice League plus many more have all lead to increased awareness for DC heroes.
Awww, he’s smiling
In the gaming realm in particular Lego: Batman 2 (see all the cheat codes here) recently released, which showcased a more open world and a roster of dozens of DC characters – including those from The Justice League.
First published in 2009 by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Batman: Arkham Asylum was followed by Arkham City only two years later. With the mounting evidence pushing for more capitalization of the Justice League brand, could we be looking at a Batman: Justice League game in 2013? People doubted Rocksteady’s ability to make a good Batman before Arkham Asylum and it ended up garnering wide public and industry acclaim and an even more successful sequel – could they do the same for The Justice League?
Source: Variety
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