The Annecy International Festival is in full swing this week. After teasing a new era for animated projects, DC Studios and Warner Bros. Animation unveiled an exciting slate of new animated shows during a joint presentation, World’s Finest Animation: DC Studios and Warner Bros. Animation Showcase. The presentation featured Peter Safran (Co‑Chairman and Co‑CEO, DC Studios) and Sam Register (President, Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios, and Hanna‑Barbera Studios Europe), alongside Warner Bros. Animation artists who shared first looks and creative insights into the next era of DC animation. Without a doubt, the announcement that generated the most buzz was an animated adaptation of the award-winning and best-selling DC comic book series, Absolute Batman, written by Scott Snyder with art by Nick Dragotta.
It goes without saying at this point that DC’s Absolute line has been a massive success both critically and commercially with the Absolute Batman book dominating records. To whit, the series has sold more than 6 million copies, with Absolute Batman #1 reaching an 11th printing, and all Absolute titles, including Absolute Batman, rank among the top 10 best-selling comics of 2025. So the news of an Absolute Batman animated series is the next logical step. Scott Snyder will serve as executive producer and showrunner, with Dragotta as producer. Additional projects include the first-ever anime DC series, Joker: Laugh Riot and a new series starring Krypto.
Full breakdowns below:
Joker: Laugh Riot (Series Greenlight, Adult)
- Network: TBA
- Description: When Batman is murdered, the Joker launches a ruthless crusade through Gotham’s underworld to find the killer who took away his greatest adversary. But as his violent quest for answers pushes him closer towards vigilante than villain, Joker is forced to confront the truth that without Batman, he doesn’t know who he is.
- Executive Producer: Jim Krieg
- Director: Yasuhuro Aoki
- Studio: Warner Bros. Animation, DC Studios, SOLA Entertainment
Absolute Batman (Series Development, Adult)
- Network: TBA
- Description: Absolute Batman boldly reinvents the Batman mythos for a new generation of fans, reimagining the Dark Knight as a working-class hero up against impossible odds (and the most terrifying foes ever), on a mission to prove that even in an era of wealth, power and corruption, one good person can change the world.
No manor, no money… all Batman. When you take away the manor, the money, the advantages, what you’re left with is something absolute.
- Executive Producer: Scott Snyder
- Studio: Warner Bros. Animation, DC Studios
Untitled Krypto Project (Series Development, Kids)
- Network: TBA
- Description: When he’s not hanging out with Superman or Supergirl, Krypto tags along with a gang of misfit criminal wannabes who live down the block, and they soon discover he’s a ball of destructive, lovable energy worse than any of them! As he follows them into misadventures and poorly laid plans, Krypto’s pure nature slowly ends up redeeming them, whether they want it or not.
- Executive Producer: C.H. Greenblatt
- Studio: Warner Bros. Animation, DC Studios
