By Published Apr 14, 2026, 11:50 AM EDT Felipe Rangel is a Movie and TV Journalist ScreenRant. He has been writing about movies and TV since 2026. Felipe joined ScreenRant in 2026, working across different teams, covering everything from breaking news to features to reviews and more.
Felipe is a writer who is an avid film and TV fan, with superhero movies and series being his biggest passion. He graduated from college in 2019, having studied Journalism. Before college, he spent a month studying at the Oxford English Centre. His superhero knowledge expands to the comics, with his undergraduate thesis being "Politics Reflected In American Comics." Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap
's next movie is coming in 2026, marking the start of a new franchise that could be key to the comic book giant's future. Batman is DC's most popular hero, which is why the Dark Knight leads the charge when it comes to adaptations. are often the most talked about, but and video games also come in droves.
The Dark Knight is ever-present and beloved in every medium one can think of. Right now, there are two major live-action Batman movies in the works. One of them will be released in 2027, as Robert Pattinson will soon shoot his return as Bruce Wayne in The Batman — Part II. The other, The Brave and the Bold, reboots the character for , with no release date set.
That said, there is more to Batman's future than just his live-action appearances. Even within the confines of Gunn's DCU Chapter One, the Dark Knight has already appeared in animation, shown arriving just before he apprehended Doctor Phosphorus in HBO Max's Creature Commandos. Batman has many animated movies and TV shows in the works, and one of them just so happens to be a major 2026 release.
Batman: Knightfall Part 1: Knightfall is the Dark Knight's next animated movie. At the time of writing, there is no confirmed day for it to be released, though it has been revealed that the animated at the 2026 Annecy International Animation Film Festival. The Batman movie is one of DC's most important releases.
Batman: Knightfall Is A DC Elseworlds Franchise
As its title suggests, Batman: Knightfall Part 1: Knightfall is not just a standalone animated Batman movie, but the start of a franchise. DC has plans for four Batman movies that adapt the iconic Knightfall storyline from the comics, with Bane freeing Batman's Rogues Gallery from Arkham Asylum in the 2026 film. The Knightfall movies are not canon to Gunn's DCU.
In the past, James Gunn explained how there would be DC movies and shows considered Elseworlds projects. Some of those have already been released, like Joker: Folie à Deux and HBO's The Penguin. As such, DC has plans for projects within and outside the DCU. That said, Batman: Knightfall Part 1: Knightfall might be key to the future of the non-DCU projects.
Batman: Knightfall's Performance Is Key To DC's Future Amid James Gunn's DC Universe
When he announced his and Peter Safran's plans for the DC Universe as DC Studios' co-CEOs, James Gunn claimed that the franchise would span live-action, animation, video games, and more. With the end of other DC shared universes, like the Arrowverse and the animated Tomorrowverse, there is a wariness about just how many non-DCU projects will come from DC.
DC has steadily had a dedicated animated movie shared universe since 2013, either the DCAMU or the Tomorrowverse, but both are gone now.
That is where Batman: Knightfall Part 1: Knightfall comes in. If successful, the movie and its subsequent three sequels would show DC that it is still worth investing in standalone animated franchises. This would keep the superhero giant's content fresh, allow for classic comic book stories to get a spotlight, and explore different versions of characters than those in the DCU. It all starts with Batman's next movie.
Expand Collapse
Follow Followed Like Share Close Trending Now
