Meet the new voices of Batman, Harley Quinn and Catwoman: exclusive

Even today, most of the supporting characters’ voices remain hidden, but two other major characters can be revealed: Christine Ricci (Yellow jackets And The Lizzie Borden Chronicles) will voice jewel thief Catwoman and her socialite alter ego Selina Kyle, while Diedrich Bader (The Drew Carey Show And Better things) will face the mischievous and corrupt Gotham City prosecutor Harvey Dent, who becomes the double-crossing villain Two-Face.

Chung’s performance as Harley Quinn is a stark departure from the crazy Brooklyn accent typically associated with the character (soon to be played by Lady Gaga in this fall’s live-action sequel Joker: Folie à Deux). Batman: The Caped Crusader also significantly reimagines his villainous origin story. Chung’s Dr. Harleen Quinzel is still a psychiatrist, but she chooses to commit wrongdoing herself rather than be driven insane by the Joker, who is not present in her life (at least, not yet). If anything, this version of Harley Quinn as a self-proclaimed vigilante has more in common with Batman himself, since his crime spree involves the capture and manipulation of Gotham’s wealthiest citizens.

“You have the psychiatrist who is really bubbly and seems to really care about her clients, but she’s a bit like Robin Hood. She treats some of Gotham’s elite, but she takes it upon herself to bring justice in her own way,” says Chung, who shifts gears when she voices the doctor’s masked Harley Quinn character. “It’s a little scary. They really wanted (Harley Quinn) to be very threatening, a little more calm and calculating. Oddly enough, she looks like a dominatrix. You’re in so much pain and yet she tells you what to do, and ‘You’ve been a bad boy…’”

This is one of the signs that Batman: The Caped Crusaderwhich is produced by Abrams And The Batman director Matt Reevesis aimed at an audience beyond small children.

Batman: The Caped Crusader touches on a number of nostalgia points. First, the 10-episode animated series draws inspiration from the original 1939 illustrations that introduced the DC Comics character. Second, it’s overseen by two showrunners and executive producers who have a legacy of beloved Batman cartoons. Bruce Timm is renowned for his work on the now classic 1992-1995 Batman: The Animated Series, while James Tucker contributed to the production of the animated show 2008-2011 Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Both have worked on several other DC projects and previously teamed up on the 1999-2001 Futuristic series. Batman beyond, about an aging Bruce Wayne handing over night-stalking duties to a new protégé.

Why return to the Batcave for another tour of duty? Timm and Tucker say they wanted to tell a more sophisticated Batman story in animation this time. “I’m a big fan of film noir, and that’s pretty much what we’re doing exclusively in this movie,” Tucker says. “It’s such a period piece. I mean, I’ve done all kinds of Batman. I’ve worked on shows with different versions of Batman. No one has made this one for animation yet.