DC Ups Their Game With JUSTICE LEAGUE: GODS AND MONSTERS Companion Series

DC’s giving its fans an extra helping of Justice League next year. To accompany the release of their direct-to-DVD film Justice League: Gods and Monsters, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. have partnered with streaming site Machinima for a three-episode companion series titled Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles, which will air in spring 2015. The series is described as revolving around “a newly conceived reality in the DC universe where Justice League members Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are much darker versions of the superheroes that people know.”

Like the movie, Chronicles will be produced by DC animation legend Bruce Timm and co-produced by Alan Burnett, who worked on Batman: The Animated Series with Timm. The series will air weeks before Gods and Monsters is released on home media. This is the first project from the newly-created Warner Bros. digital content production division, and is the first collaboration between Warner Bros. and Machinima after Warner Bros. invested $18 million in the streaming site in March. Machinima CEO Chad Gutstein described the company’s partnership with Warner Bros. as ” a new and exciting way to tap into the company’s unmatched content,” and DC Entertainment president Diane Nelson also expressed her excitement for the upcoming series.

We are committed to delivering DC Entertainment’s extensive line-up of world-class characters and stories to audiences across all platforms and formats. Justice League: Gods and Monsters is an exciting opportunity to bring alternate versions of DC Comics’ iconic Justice League characters to Machinima, and we look forward to bringing this new animated shortform series to life with our partners across Warner Bros.

Huh, a story involving darker versions of popular Justice League members. That’s never been done before! Kidding aside (although would it kill them to have an alternate timeline or universe where things are actually better than in the main world), this endeavor looks like it’s meant to be a big push for the Justice League franchise. Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice is being released less than a year after Gods and Monsters, putting Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and likely the other Leaguers directly in the public consciousness, and Justice League will follow soon after (the article says 2018). DC wants to make sure that the general audience, as well as established fans, are well-acquainted with DC’s greatest heroes before they appear in live-action. With Bruce Timm at the helm, chances are it will succeed. Although, considering the more mature nature of DC’s animated films, I suggest showing younger fans episodes of Justice League and Justice League Unlimited if you’re looking to get them prepped for the DC Cinematic Universe.

Regardless, if there’s one thing we’ve learned from DC’s marketing for animated projects, if it has Batman or Justice League attached to the title, it’s sure to make the big bucks!

SOURCE: Variety