The direct-to-DVD Batman: Gotham Knight provides an animated bridge between Christopher Nolan’s first two films featuring the Caped Crusader. The anime-styled sextet of stories was released in advance of The Dark Knight’s theatrical debut to satisfy the appetite created by an exhaustive viral campaign. However, this has left many wondering if it is truly a love-letter to Batman fans or a crass attempt to make money from a marketing tool.
Gotham Knight is not the first example of such a release.
2003—Warner Brothers releases The Animatrix, a collection of stories set in and around the Matrix films. Andy and Larry Wachowski oversee the project, but the bulk of episodes are written and directed by anime stalwarts such as Shinichiro Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop, Macross Plus), Yoshiaki Kawajiri (Ninja Scroll) and Mahiro Maeda (Final Fantasy: Unlimited).
2004—Universal Home Video debuts The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury as David Twohy’s sequel to Pitch Black hits theatres. Directed by anime legend Peter Chung (Aeon Flux, The Animatrix), this self-contained episode fills in some blanks in the hero’s history and lays the groundwork for elements central to the theatrical sequel.
2003-2005—George Lucas unleashes Star Wars: Clone Wars, a two-season narrative beginning shortly after Lucas’s Episode 2: Attack of the Clones. Genndy Tartakovsky (Samurai Jack, The Powerpuff Girls) directs all twenty-five episodes and displays the knack for visual kinetics and stylized artwork displayed throughout his career.
The true father of the expanded universe ‘interequal’
While many might consider The Animatrix a pioneer in high-end supplemental content, the true ancestor is George Lucas. Before his creation of the Clone Wars series, he forged a path through the expanded franchise universe, overseeing hundreds of Star Wars novels taking place in and around the stories and characters he created for film.
The 'interequals' of other imaginary worlds that followed owe Lucas a large debt, but perhaps even more to Japanese culture. After all, this society places a higher value on animated stories (never pigeonholed as children- or family-friendly fare), and allows the properties involved to move through a wide range of media with ease. The same titles and characters concurrently appear in television shows, direct-to-DVD releases, theatrical features and graphic novels without concern for diminishing the brand.
This also explains the prevalence of an anime esthetic in these releases, either in North American directors dabbling in the style or the hiring of authentic practitioners of the craft. Does this attraction to a specific style signal an understanding of the existing fan base or represent a calculated appeal to the devotee’s wallet?
The Pudding Test
The true test of interequal intent is the quality of the films themselves. There can be little doubt that cash-driven synergy fuels the release of such titles. As Adam Hakari wrote on reeltalkreviews.com, “… this is a movie probably inspired by the desire to cash in on a hot property…as is, Gotham Knight is still no slouch when it comes to providing fans with an action-packed ride befitting of the Caped Crusader.”
Fans can sniff out sub-standard product and will vote with their dollars. This is a fact borne out by the critical acclaim and strong sales attributed to The Animatrix and the inverse returns on Dark Fury.
The producers of Gotham Knight know this. We can only hope that producers of future expanded universe product learn this lesson.
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