'The LEGO Batman Movie': New Details, First Images, and More!

In just three days, audiences the world over will be introduced to Ben Affleck’s version of Batman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. But, early next year, audiences will also be reacquainted with another version of the Dark Knight – one who likes to only work in black and, sometimes, very, very dark grey.

In 2014, Will Arnett’s memorably comedic take on Batman became one of the breakout characters of The LEGO Movie. In 2017, Arnett will reprise that role in The LEGO Batman Movie, the first spinoff film in Warner Animation Group’s cinematic universe of LEGO movies (dubbed here as the LCU). In a perfect display of timing, Warner Bros. will drop the first teaser trailer for the film tomorrow! To get you prepared for that awesomeness, USA Today published a profile on the film complete with images and new story details courtesy of Will Arnett and director Chris McKay.

When previously interviewed about the film, producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller told the press the film will ask the question “Can Batman be happy?” USA Today‘s profile expands on this question as we receive more details about the plot.

(From The LEGO Batman Movie, courtesy of USA Today.)

Speaking to the trade, Will Arnett describes the film’s story as “humanizing” the character of Batman. “The Batcave is even better than we remembered it, it’s awesome” says Arnett. “But I also love getting into the ho-hum day-to-day of being Batman and what it’s like to fight crime each day. Like the idea of Batman oversleeping his alarm clock makes me laugh. It really does humanize him.”

(From The LEGO Batman Movie, courtesy of USA Today.)

Chris McKay, who was the animation director on The LEGO Movie and is directing The LEGO Batman Movie as his feature film debut, told USA Today that it was immediately clear how popular their version of Batman was in his LEGO Movie supporting role, especially as fan favorite lines like the one above swept the fandom. “We thought if we can tell a well-rounded, funny story that’s action-packed, we can build a big movie around this character,” says McKay. “This is the movie we would want to see.”

(From The LEGO Batman Movie, courtesy of USA Today.)

The story of the film portrays Batman as a solitary figure in a something of an arrested development, with his only sole relationship being that of his butler, Alfred Pennyworth (Ralph Fiennes). His world is then upended with the introduction of Dick Grayson/Robin (Michael Cera) and Barbara Gordon/Batgirl (Rosario Dawson). As he carries on his fight against the Joker (Zach Galifianakis), Batman will have to learn to open himself up to other people, a difficult task considering how he’s spent his entire career closing himself off.

“Batman is an island onto himself, the only thing he doesn’t have is relationships,” says McKay. “We’re making About a Boy as directed by (action director) Michael Mann.”

(From The LEGO Batman Movie, courtesy of USA Today.)

McKay was also adamant about including major female roles in what would otherwise be a traditionally guy-centric Batman story. Thus the inclusion of Batgirl and Mariah Carey as Gotham’s Mayor (a role traditionally played by men).

The main cast won’t just be a who’s who of characters from the Batman universe. Expect to see appearances from other major DC heroes as well. “We’re nothing but exhaustive about the cameos and other characters that try to enter Batman’s life,” says McKay.

Currently, Mckay and his team are deep into production on the film at Animal Logic’s Sydney studio, where the intricate and fully Lego world is being created via computer animation programs that, like The LEGO Movie, follow the principles of real life Lego bricks.

“At first it doesn’t look like it’s all built in Lego. But as you get closer you realize it is,” says McKay. “We’re building an entire city, the Batcave and vehicles, going deep into Batman’s world.”

In the final chunk of the article, Will Arnett described how he finds the voice for his Batman, creating a character the people recognize but still has ticks and moments the make it his own. “We get down to that perfect sweet spot for Batman, but also having moments of hesitation,” says Arnett. “There’s nothing better than a guy who has this super-authoritative, brooding, voice but also moments where he’s a bit unsure.” Also, in case you wanted to know, Arnett is rooting for Batman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. “I’m going to just to enjoy the show, but I’ll be rooting for Ben,” says Arnett. “I mean, he’s Batman.”

(From The LEGO Batman Movie, courtesy of USA Today.)

The LEGO Batman Movie marks the beginning of something unique. The cinematic universe has arisen as a new way of bringing popular worlds and properties to the big screen. But it’s a concept that has never been attempted before in the world of feature animation (yes, not even Disney tried it). How fast this concept catches on in feature animation will depend on how well the LEGO movies do. Fortunately, each one has a strong unifying team behind them (Phil Lord, Chris Miller, Dan Lin, and Roy Lee) and each one will have the freedom of having a distinct tone and style (LEGO Batman is a superhero movie, while LEGO Ninjago will likely delve into the supernatural). The combination of all those things make the LCU (LEGO Cinematic Universe) an animated film franchise to watch.