‘Batman: Year One’ Animated Movie Gets Its Voice Cast

Bryan Cranston, Ben McKenzie, Eliza Dushku and Katee Sackhoff will contribute their vocal talents to the characters of Batman: Year One, the forthcoming animated film from Warner Bros. Animation. Based on the hugely influential comic book by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli, the PG-13-rated Year One will release in the Fall but premiere at this year's Comic-Con International in San Diego.Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston is an inspired choice to play James Gordon, the Gotham City police Lieutenant with whom the young Batman allies to wage a new war on crime. Voicing that novice Dark Knight is Ben McKenzie from Southland and The OC. The cast also includes Eliza Dushku as Catwoman, Katee Sackhoff as Sarah Essen and Alex Rocco as Carmine Falcone.

Cranston told The Hollywood Reporter's Heat Vision that he rejected WB's offer to perform in Batman: Year One without even reading the script, simply by virtue of the fact that it was for animation, which he considered an unsophisticated medium. Naturally, Cranston was turned around by Miller & Mazzucchelli and the WB Animation team.

"I wasn't aware of this level of storytelling in animation. I confess that freely," he says. "They didn't give the characters the short shrift. I was stunned."

Batman: Year One is executive produced by DC animation legend Bruce Timm, who told Heat Vision that his film will be extremely reverent to the beloved comic book.

"The source material is surprisingly cinematic; it's a pretty straight forward literal retelling," he says. "Mazzucchelli's artwork is beautifully composed and we were able to refer to the comic for about 80 percent of the camera setups."

Batman: Year One will premiere at Comic-Con International in San Diego before going on sale in the Fall. You can purchase Batman: Year One in comics stores everywhere or order it online from Things From Another World.

[Heat Vision]