As anyone who’s attended a DC Comics animated movie premiere at SDCC can attest, typically the panel ends with an announcement of next year’s slate of movies. Sadly due to COVID, conventions and even attending movie premiers are pretty much canceled for 2020. Don’t despair, DC and Warner Bros. aren’t going to leave us hanging. Just when you thought the outstanding DC FanDome virtual yesterday couldn’t hype up your excitement any more, how does the prospect of an 2-part animated adaptation of Batman: The Long Halloween sound?

That’s right, announced today at the end of the Superman: Man of Tomorrow panel that streamed online early courtesy of IGN, the acclaimed and Eisner award-winning 13-issue miniseries by writer Jeph Loeb and artist Tim Sale will be released in the summer and fall of 2021.

Batman: The Long HalloweenWarner Bros. is certainly ensuring there’s no shortage of Batman media next year, with Long Halloween overlapping quite nicely with Matt ReevesThe Batman film. On the small chance you haven’t yet seen the trailer that everyone’s been talking about, the film does seem to take some inspiration from the Loeb/Sale storyline at least in terms of a serial killer mystery during the Dark Knight’s second year as a crime fighter.

Much like the animated adaptation of Frank Miller‘s The Dark Knight Returns, Warner Bros. clearly felt the scope of Long Halloween warranted splitting it into two films in order to do it justice. Moreover, just last year Batman: Hush another fan-favorite Batman storyline penned by Loeb was released.

Also coming up is the already announced Batman: Soul of the Dragon original film from executive Bruce Timm in early 2021. Also coming up in Spring 2021 is another original film, Justice Society: World War II. Panel moderator Matt Bomer couldn’t divulge much information but not so subtly hinted that  he would be providing a voice in the film.