Batman: The Animated Series creator teams with J.J. Abrams for new Dark Knight cartoon

Many Batman fans' prayers are about to be answered. Batman: The Animated Series has long been hailed as a gold standard for adapting the Dark Knight into other media (not least by, well, us here at EW). Now at long last, BTAS creator Bruce Timm is returning to the character.

HBO Max and Cartoon Network announced Wednesday that they have greenlit Batman: Caped Crusader, a new animated series overseen by Timm, The Batman director Matt Reeves, and newly minted DC star producer J.J. Abrams.

Caped Crusader will not be a sequel to BTAS (if you're looking for something like that, seek out the recent comic Batman: The Adventures Continue, from series producer Paul Dini), but rather is set to "once again reinvent Batman and his iconic rogue's gallery with sophisticated storytelling, nuanced characters and intense action sequences all set in a visually striking world," per the announcement.

"We are beyond excited to be working together to bring this character back, to tell engrossing new stories in Gotham City," Timm, Reeves, and Abrams said in a joint statement. "The series will be thrilling, cinematic and evocative of Batman's noir roots, while diving deeper into the psychology of these iconic characters. We cannot wait to share this new world."

Reeves is directing the upcoming live-action Batman movie starring Robert Pattinson, and Abrams is spearheading a new generation of live-action DC films such as a Black Superman movie with Ta-Nehisi Coates. But it should be a very pleasant surprise for fans to see Timm back in the fold as well.

Speaking of the Man of Steel, HBO Max and Cartoon Network also announced a new series featuring one of DC's premier superheroes. My Adventures With Superman will star Jack Quaid (The Boys) as Clark Kent and Alice Lee (Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist) as Lois Lane in a coming-of-age story about Clark building his secret identity and Lois growing as an investigative journalist.

Set much earlier in their relationship and careers than the live-action Superman & Lois, My Adventures With Superman is the saga of these two icons "falling in love, sharing adventures, taking down bad guys, stumbling over secrets, and discovering what it means to be Superman and Lois Lane," per the announcement. Naturally, they'll also be taking photographer Jimmy Olsen under their wing. This show is billed as "kids and family" friendly, so don't expect Harley Quinn-style high jinks.

"This is the first animated Superman series in many years and we want to tell our Superman story through the trio of Clark, Lois, and Jimmy — whose relationship dynamic will allow for rich, serialized, and engaging stories as we explore their lives as individuals and their journey together as friends," Warner Bros. Animation president Sam Register said in a statement.

This post has been updated with details about the new Superman series.

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