Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment,
Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Home Video have expanded the realm
of superhero storytelling beyond the popular DC Universe Animated
Original PG-13 Movies with the introduction of the DC Showcase, a
series of animated shorts featuring characters from the celebrated DC
Comics vault. On November 9, 2010, Warner Home Video will distribute
the DC Showcase Original Shorts Collection, the first quartet of
animated adventures featuring the never-before-seen Superman/Shazam!
The Return of Black Adam, as a Special Edition Blu-Ray™ for $29.99
(SRP) and single disc DVD for $19.98 (SRP).
DC Showcase animated shorts initially appeared as special bonus
content on the 2010 slate of DC Universe Animated Original Movies. The
10- to 12-minute films include The Spectre, Jonah Hex and Green Arrow.
All three titles will be presented in extended formats along with the
first-ever release of Superman/Shazam! The Return of Black Adam.
In Superman/Shazam! The Return of Black Adam, Clark Kent’s latest
interview subject is street kid Billy Batson. What Clark doesn’t know
is that Billy is more than a feisty kid with a lot of heart – he has
been chosen by an ancient wizard to represent the good of man as the
World’s Mightiest Mortal just by invoking the name of the wizard,
“Shazam!” Billy’s powers come none-too-soon, as he also discovers
he’s being pursued by a centuries’ old, murderous villain, Black Adam
– a foe so powerful, even Superman can’t stop him alone. The all-star
cast of Superman/Shazam! The Return of Black Adam is led by Jerry
O’Connell (Crossing Jordan) as Captain Marvel, George Newbern
reprising his Justice League role as Superman, Arnold Vosloo (The
Mummy) as Black Adam and two-time Emmy Award® winner James Garner (8
Simple Rules) as The Wizard.
Bruce Timm (Superman Doomsday) is executive producer and Joaquim Dos
Santos (Justice League, Avatar: The Last Airbender) is director of the
first series of DC Showcase titles. Michael Jelenic (Wonder Woman)
wrote the 22-minute script
Other shorts included on the DC Showcase Original Shorts Collection:
The Spectre – A detective story with an ethereal twist featuring an
otherworldly character. The short is written by Steve Niles (30 Days
of Night), and the voice cast includes Gary Cole (Entourage) and
Alyssa Milano (Charmed).
Jonah Hex – The tough-as-nails bounty hunter always gets his man –
until someone else gets to him first – in this case a murderous madam
who wants to steal more than just his bounty from Jonah Hex. Based on
a story from the award-winning Jonah Hex comic series, and scripted by
world-renowned author Joe Lansdale. The voice cast is led by Thomas
Jane (Hung), Linda Hamilton (The Terminator), Michelle Trachtenberg
(Mercy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Michael Rooker (Days of
Thunder).
Green Arrow – At the Star City International Airport to pick up his
girlfriend, Oliver Queen is forced into action as Green Arrow to
protect the 10-year-old Princess of Vlatava from his old nemesis
Merlyn the Magnificent and the League of Assassins. Greg Weisman
(Young Justice) pens this action-packed tale, which features the
voices of Neal McDonough (Desperate Housewives) as the title character
and Malcolm McDowell (Entourage) as his foe.
“The DC Showcase once again combines the respective creative talents
of DC Comics, Warner Premiere, Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Home
Video to provide fans with
vivid, new experiences alongside characters from within the vast
resources of DC Comics,” said Matt Bierman, Senior Vice President
Production, Warner Premiere.
“The DC Showcase allows us to expand the DC Universe with short
stories based on intriguing characters – from a 1940s comics sensation
like The Spectre to a creation of the 1970s like Jonah Hex – just
begging to be presented to a very worthy fan base,” said Geoff Johns,
Chief Creative Officer of DC Entertainment.
“Whereas DC Universe films have given fans the broad strokes of
superhero entertainment, we know devout comics fans will enjoy seeing
the characters in the DC Showcase come to animated life – some for the
very first time – and we believe this presentation will open a window
for new viewers to experience these unique, textured heroes and
villains,” said Amit Desai, WHV Vice President of Family, Animation &
Sports Marketing.
DC Showcase Original Shorts Collection 1-Disc Special Edition DVD
features more than 1 hour of exciting extra content, including:
• Four animation shorts (est. 62 min)
• Four additional bonus TV series episodes handpicked by Bruce Timm
DC Showcase Original Shorts Collection Blu-Ray™ features more than 2
1/2 hours of exciting extra content, including:
• Four animation shorts (est. 62 min)
• Commentaries by renowned writers Steve Niles, Joe Lansdale, Greg
Weisman and Michael Jelenic
• Four additional bonus TV series episodes handpicked by Bruce Timm
• Digital copy online of the shorts
About Warner Premiere:
Warner Premiere is Warner Bros. Entertainment’s direct-to-consumer
production company focused on the development, production and
marketing of feature-length content, as well as short form digital
content for the growing home entertainment market. Warner Premiere is
committed to being at the creative forefront in the evolution of
quality product in the direct-to-DVD business and the digital space,
creating material that exemplifies the commitment to story, production
and brand equity for which Warner Bros. is known.
About Warner Home Video:
With operations in 90 international territories Warner Home Video, a
Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, commands the largest distribution
infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video’s
film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new
and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures,
Turner Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Home Video and
New Line Home Entertainment.
About DC Entertainment:
DC Entertainment, home to such iconic DC Comics properties as
Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Flash, MAD Magazine,
and Fables, is the creative division charged with strategically
integrating across Warner Bros. and Time Warner. DC Entertainment
works in concert with many key Warner Bros. divisions to unleash its
superheroic characters across all media, including but not limited to
film, television, consumer products, home entertainment, and
interactive games. Publishing over 1,000 comic books, graphic novels
and magazines each year, DC Comics is the largest English-language
publisher of comics in the world.
DC SUPER HEROES and all related characters and elements are trademarks
of and © DC Comics.
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About Warner Bros. Animation:
Warner Bros. Animation (WBA) has been producing award-winning original
animation since 1930, when it released its first cartoon, “Sinkin’ in
the Bathtub.” Since then, WBA’s characters have set the standard for
innovative, quality animation. Producing for network and cable
television, online, home entertainment and feature films both
domestically and internationally, WBA is highly respected for its
creative and technical excellence, as well as for maintaining the
studio’s rich cartoon heritage. WBA also oversees the creative use and
production of animated programming based on classic cartoon characters
from the Hanna-Barbera and DC Comics libraries. WBA is one of the
most-honored animation studios in history.
