Fandom has spent the past few days mourning the loss of Adam West and celebrating his legacy. The actor was best known for his role as Batman in the television series that ran from 1966-1968, as well as the 1966 feature film spin-off. Last year he reprised the role in animated form for the absolutely wonderful Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders. He was joined by fellow old chums Burt Ward (as Robin) and Julie Newmar (as Catwoman) in what was easily my favorite DC movie of 2016. After the resounding success of that film, which even received a limited theatrical release, as sequel was quickly announced: Batman vs. Two-Face!
Two-Face was one of the few major classic Batman villains that never appeared on the original ’60s show. His debut on the series was planned to occur during a fourth season, re-imagined as a disgruntled and disfigured TV anchor. Clint Eastwood was rumored to be their top choice for the part and it’s entirely possible that he might have done it. After all, the series was littered with celebrity guest stars on a regular basis, including Clint’s pal Eli Wallach (as Mr. Freeze). Two-Face’s stint on the West show was not meant to be, however, as the series was cancelled after its third season. The supposed “lost episode” was eventually adapted as part of the “Batman ’66” comics line.
Staying true to the show’s roots, Warner Bros. Animation cast another ’60s star as the voice of Batman’s foe with a split-personality: William Shatner! Last year it was stated that West, Shatner, Newmar, and Ward would all be recording their dialogue in the fall, ahead of a planned 2018 release. Not much has been heard about the project since then.
Upon news of West’s death, fans wondered what the status of this project was. Well, the folks over at The 13th Dimension have the answer: Adam West did indeed record all of his dialogue before he passed. There’s still no word on a release date, but it’s looking like this will be the actor’s final project.
Last year there had also been talk of a third animated outing that might see West’s Batman teaming up with Lynda Carter’s Wonder Woman. While this will no doubt fall by the wayside with West’s passing, here’s hoping that WB Animation still does a Wonder Woman movie with Carter. I’d love to see one and I suspect a great many fans would as well.
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