Merry Little Batman was first announced in April 2023, and we now have our first look at the film thanks to the debut trailer.
While Batman is out fighting crime, a very young Damian Wayne accidentally comes across a plot to ruin Christmas for all Gothamites.
The Joker and Ridder were previously confirmed in official stills but the trailer reveals that the Penguin, Bane, and Mr. Freeze will be showing up as well.
In a previous interview with Entertainment Weekly, director Tim Roth (Regular Show) teased, "Because it's a Christmas story, telling it through the eyes of a child seemed apropos. Typically, Damian is a teenager who struggles with good and evil. While this was an interesting idea that was initially explored, we landed on a younger Damian. We decided to turn the clock back on Damian's petulant nature to a time when he was more innocent and wide-eyed."
Roth went on to add, "The idea of a teeny, tiny, little kid in this huge city aspiring to become Batman like his dad was such a fun starting point. It gave us the heart and comedy we were looking for and opened the window to a Gotham City Christmas like we've never seen before."
The official synopsis for Merry Little Batman reads, "When young Damian Wayne finds himself alone in Wayne Manor on Christmas Eve, he must transform into “Little Batman” in order to defend his home and Gotham City from the crooks and supervillains intent on destroying the holidays."
Luke Wilson (Old School) portrays Batman with David Hornsby (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) voicing the Joker and Jonas Kibreab (Sweet Tooth, Elio) playing Damian. Also voicing a character in the film is the legendary James Cromwell (L.A. Confidential, Succession), who plays Alfred.
The amusing animated film will be followed up by an ongoing Prime Video series, Bat-Family.
In addition to Bat-Family, Prime Video also ordered a second animated series, Batman: Caped Crusader, which is executive produced by Bruce Timm (Batman: The Animated Series, Justice League), J.J. Abrams (Lost, Star Wars: The Force Awakens), and Matt Reeves (The Batman). Batman: Caped Crusader received a two-season order from Prime Video.
Morgan Evans (Teen Titans Go!) and Jase Ricci (Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham) penned the script.
Merry Little Batman will premiere on Prime Video, December 8, 2023.