Batman: The Long Halloween, Part Two - What We Know So Far
Batman has had plenty of iconic comic book stories over the years. "Knightfall" saw the Caped Crusader meet his match physically with Bane literally breaking his back. "The Dark Knight Returns" flipped the idea of what a Batman story was capable of by grounding the character in a grittier reality. Creatives have incorporated elements of these stories into various films, both live-action and animated, and now, fans of the Dark Knight will finally see an adaptation of arguably the best Batman story of all time — "The Long Halloween."
Not only have reports indicated the comic book arc serves as inspiration for the upcoming "The Batman" starring Robert Pattinson, but the story will also receive a much more direct translation in two future DC animated films — "Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One" and "Part Two." Fans have waited anxiously to see the adaptation ever since the trailer for "Part One" came out in April of 2021. We know from that trailer the first installment becomes available on June 22, 2021 on digital and Blu-Ray, and thanks to the "Part Two" trailer, we now know we won't have to wait too much longer after that to see how this iconic Batman tale ends.
What's the release date for Batman: The Long Halloween, Part Two?
While "Part One" of this story comes out on digital, DVD, and Blu-Ray all on the same day, you may have to do a bit of digging to get "Part Two" sooner rather than later. The new announcement reports that the second installment will be available for digital purchase starting on July 27, 2021 (via Collider). However, if you're one of the few people out there who still enjoys collecting physical media, then you'll have to wait a couple more weeks to get the chapter that way. The animated film releases on Blu-Ray on August 10.
Separating "The Long Halloween" into two separate movies makes sense on several different fronts. For starters, the original comic book run lasted for 13 issues, so there are a lot of nuances for the films to get in there. Additionally, the story tells the origins of how Harvey Dent turned into Two-Face, so the fact there are now two movies about that development seems like something that would make Two-Face proud.
Who's in the cast for Batman: The Long Halloween, Part Two?
Jensen Ackles of "Supernatural" fame joins the long list of actors who have had the opportunity to lend his voice to the Dark Knight. He has good company as Billy Burke will portray James Gordon and Josh Duhamel will play Harvey Dent, who transforms into Two-Face over the course of the story. One great thing about the "The Long Halloween" comics is that they really brought the best, most iconic Batman villains into the story, and some of the villainous faces you can expect to see in the second installment judging from the trailer include Joker (Troy Baker), Penguin (David Dastmalchian), Poison Ivy (Katee Sackhoff), Solomon Grundy (Fred Tatasciore), and Mad Hatter (John DiMaggio).
There's also sadness when looking at the cast as "Batman: The Long Halloween, Part Two" will mark the final film role for "Glee" star Naya Rivera, who died in July of 2020. She lent her voice to the role of Selina Kyle/Catwoman for both installments of "The Long Halloween."
What's the plot of Batman: The Long Halloween, Part Two?
There's a new killer on the loose in Gotham known as Holiday. Based on the name, his modus operandi involves committing heinous acts of murder once a month on each holiday. The madness starts on Halloween and continues for one full year, instilling fear into the hearts of Gothamites. Batman and Captain Gordon work together to track down the killer, and to do so, the Caped Crusader turns to the one man who knows an awful lot about calendar-based crimes, Calendar Man (David Dastmalchian), who offers riddles to help Batman realize the villain's true identity.
Without giving anything away in "Part One," the sequel will see more villains getting into the bloodbath as Gotham further descends into chaos. "Part Two" also sees the final transformation of Harvey Dent, who starts as a beacon of hope for the city and then transitions into one of its tormentors.
It's worth noting that while "Part One" has received a PG-13 rating, "Part Two" will go for a full R (via Syfy). That marker stems from "violence and bloody images," so make sure you know going into it that the sequel will be far more gruesome in scope. But for Batman fans, both movies are must-watch events, so get ready to download both when they become available this summer.