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WIRE Buzz: Batmobile animated series; Blood of Zeus trailer; and Jason Momoa
The Batmobile and other famous vehicles from the DC Universe will be taking on a life of their own in Batwheels, a Cars-esque animated preschool series zooming onto Cartoon Network and HBO Max. No premiere date is fixed yet.
"Batwheels is the perfect show to headline our new foray into preschool," Tom Ascheim, President, Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics said in a statement. "I can’t wait for all the aspiring super heroes out there to meet this whole new batch of crime-fighters."
Described as an "action-adventure comedy," the show follows a group of sentient vehicles (the titular "Batwheels" team) that help fight crime in Gotham City alongside Batman, Robin, Batgirl and more heroes. The main characters include: Bam (The Batmobile), Bibi (The Batgirl Cycle), Red (The Redbird), Jett (The Batwing), and Buff (The Bat Truck). Each episode is set to contain important lessons about the value of self-confidence, friendship, and teamwork.
"From Batman: The Animated Series to Teen Titans Go!, superhero storytelling has definitely been one of our superpowers here at Warner Bros. Animation," added Sam Register, President, Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios. "We are so excited to bring that expertise over to the preschool space and take something that all kids love, cool vehicles, and give it a turbo boost with Batman!"
Sam Register (Looney Tunes Cartoons) serves as an executive producer, while Michael G. Stern (Doc McStuffins) and Simon J. Smith (Baymax Dreams) serve as co-executive producer and supervising producer, respectively.
It may be a while until we see the live-action Percy Jackson series on Disney+, but that doesn't mean your thirst for more Greek mythology-inspired programming has to go unslaked. Netflix is here to fill the void with Blood of Zeus, a Clash of the Titans-esque, anime-inspired series about ancient deities and champions battling titans, giants, demons, and other monsters. If you grew up watching Disney's Hercules, this is like the grown-up equivalent — full of blood and swear words.
The voice cast features Jason O’Mara (Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Mamie Gummer (True Detective), Derek Phillips (Friday Night Lights), Chris Diamantopoulos (Silicon Valley), Jessica Henwick (Luke Cage), Melina Kanakaredes (The Resident), Claudia Christian (Babylon 5), and Elias Toufexis (The Expanse) will all voice characters in the series.
Watch the first trailer now:
“In [Blood of Zeus] we wanted to tell a wholly original story set in the beloved world of Greek mythology. We are thankful for such an amazing cast and for such great creative partners at Netflix and Powerhouse Animation, who continue to push the envelope and expand the anime genre in a manner we had only dreamed of," creators Charley and Vlas Parlapanides (Immortals, Death Note) said when the project was first announced last March. The duo serve as writers and executive producers.
“The traditions of global mythology and folklore are fertile ground for anime projects and we are excited to explore the epic settings and characters of Greek mythology in our new series, [Blood of Zeus],” added John Derderian, Director of Anime for Netflix. "Charley and Vlas have an outstanding track record of telling gripping stories set in fantastical worlds and we are thrilled to bring their unique vision for the Gods of Mount Olympus to Netflix members around the world."
Originally titled Gods & Heroes, Blood of Zeus strikes Netflix Tuesday, Oct. 27.
Jason Momoa is slowly losing his mind in quarantine, the actor revealed during a virtual appearance on The Daily Show With Trevor Noah. "I'm awesome, but not really. I'm in quarantine and I'm going out of my mind," he said. The Aquaman star is currently in Canada, where he must isolate for two weeks before returning to work on Season 2 of Apple TV+'s See ... at least that's what we think he's up there to film.
To try and stay sane, Momoa is listening to music, learning how to play standup bass and the mandolin, and staring at a motorbike he can't ride yet. If he leaves quarantine, he faces a fine of up to $750,000.
"It's kind of sad, because my kids can't come up to see me because they'd have to do two weeks of quarantine," he added. "So it's the first time I've ever been away from my family for this long."
