Few crossover events have been as historic or had the staying power in the zeitgeist of fandom as Knightfall. Following in the coattails of DC’s other big event of the ‘90s, The Death of Superman, the saga introduced the world to Bane - "The Man Who Broke The Bat." Though it’s his most infamous nickname, that act was the culmination of the roided-up evil genius’s master plan, as he started by breaking all the inmates out of Arkham Asylum.
Bane gambled that The Dark Knight would obsessively track down and round up each of them (some of whom included his most dangerous foes, from Scarecrow and Joker to Two-Face), sleep and rationalism be darned. He was right and easily infiltrated Wayne Manor to confront and cripple the fatigued Caped Crusader. This led ultimately to the rogue vigilante Azrael putting on the cowl, designing a new costume, and becoming a much more lethal and merciless protector of Gotham after settling the score.
Warner Bros. borrowed elements of this story several times, particularly in episodes of animated incarnations and The Dark Knight Rises, but last year, they decided to make a complete adaptation a priority. This year, the first installment, Batman: Knightfall Part 1: Knightfall, is ready for release, and Variety reports it will premiere at Annecy Animation Festival in France.
Described as “the first installment of a multi-part animated event bringing to life one of the most iconic and beloved runs in the rich history of Batman comics," Knightfall Part 1 is directed by Jeff Wamester, whose previous credit is another crossover - the sweeping multiversal end-times adventure Justice League: Crisis On Infinite Earths. Crisis was an animated trilogy, but it’s not clear if Knightfall will follow the same path, even though the comic saga was separated into three phases: Knightfall, Knightquest, and KnightsEnd.
The entire saga has been printed and reprinted multiple times over the years, including in a massive omnibus. It had quite a memorable cast of quirky characters, but none stood out more than Bane, who became immensely popular and marketed overnight. He made his first live-action appearance within a few years of his first printed one in Batman & Robin but was unfortunately reduced to a dumbed-down flunky for Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze, and a transient Jason Woodrue - played to megalomaniacal perfection by John Glover (Smallville, Batman: The Animated Series).
The Annecy Animation Festival was founded in 1960 and convened every two years until 1998, when it became an annual event. Knightfall Part 1 will premiere there in June alongside a new Looney Tunes short called “Daffy Season” and two episodes of the new Ghost in the Shell. A digital and streaming release for the former is undetermined, but it will probably land on home video late in 2026.