- Warner Bros. Animation and DC Studios unveiled three new animated series at the 2026 Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
- This includes a show based on the comic Absolute Batman, which reimagines the Caped Crusader as a working class hero.
- DC Studio will also make their first-ever anime series, Joker: Laugh Riot
Warner Bros. Animation and DC Studios have announced three new animated series at the 2026 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, including Scott Snyder's take on Absolute Batman.
The other shows include an untitled series on super-dog Krypto by Spongebob alum C.H. Greenblatt and DC's first anime series, Joker: Laugh Riot.
Sam Register, president of Warner Bros. Animation, Hanna‑Barbera Studios Europe and Cartoon Network Studio, and Peter Safran, co‑chairman and co‑CEO of DC Studios, unveiled the three projects at Annecy alongside showrunners and executive producers from Warner Bros. Animation. First looks and creative insights into the show were also revealed, as per Variety.
Absolute Batman was written by Scott Snyder, with Nick Dragotta providing the art. Scott Snyder will serve as executive producer and showrunner of the animated series, and Dragotta as producer. The show is currently under development.
Absolute Batman was launched in 2024. The comic series has sold more than six million copies. The first volume is on its 11th print run.
The series reimagines Batman as a working-class hero on a mission to prove one good person can change the world even in an era of power, wealth and corruption.
Joker: Laugh Riot will be directed by Yasuhuro Aoki, whose animation credits include Lord Of The Rings: The War Of The Rohirrim.
The synopsis reads: “When Batman is murdered, the Joker launches a ruthless crusade through Gotham's underworld to find the killer who took away his greatest adversary. But as his violent quest for answers pushes him closer towards vigilante than villain, Joker is forced to confront the truth that without Batman, he doesn't know who he is.”
This anime series is the first for DC. It comes as the studio and WBA continue to push for more anime content, Deadline reported.
Another show under development is a series on Krypto. The untitled project follows Krypto as he goes along with a gang of criminal wannabes who live close by. As he follows the group, Krypto's pure nature ends up slowly redeeming the criminals.
The presentation also unveiled sneak peeks and fresh details about upcoming shows including on future seasons of Creature Commandos, My Adventures with Superman, Batman: Caped Crusader, Mister Miracle, Starfire and DC Superpowers.
On the Vertigo side of DC, Get Jiro will premiere on Adult Swim this fall. The show is based on the bestselling DC/Vertigo graphic novels from late chef Anthony Bourdain and Joel Rose.
