Never-Before-Seen Version of Batman Makes Their Streaming Debut in September

1 week ago 10

Batman fans get a major update as Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires officially sets a release date.

The long-awaited Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires is finally heading to HBO Max, and fans won't have to wait long before they can see it for themselves. The film will premiere in Mexico on September 18 before receiving its worldwide HBO Max debut on Sept.19.

Announced all the way back in 2022, Batman Azteca: Choque de Imperios (Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires) charts the story of the young Aztec warrior Yohualli Coatl. After the arrival of Spanish conquistadors led by Hernán Cortés, who personally takes the life of Yohualli's father, the young warrior takes it upon himself to fight back against his would-be oppressors as the Batman. Apart from Cortés, who plays the role of Two-Face following a grievous injury, Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires will also introduce an Aztec priest who, upon hearing the murderous call of Huitzilopochtli, begins offering gruesome human sacrifices to their deranged god as Yoka (the Joker).

Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires is directed by Juan Meza-León from a screenplay by Ernie Altbacker. The film features the voices of Horacio García Rojas as Yohualli, Omar Chaparro as Yoka, and Álvaro Morte as Cortés. Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires was produced by Ánima, Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment in collaboration with Chatrone and Particular Crowd. Insiders have pointed towards the production of the film as a sign of further collaborations between Warner Bros. Animation and Latin American studios, with the expectation that it will jump-start numerous other productions in a similar vein.

How Aztec Batman Got His Iconic Look

Speaking to CBR, Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires director Juan Meza-León explained the inspiration behind and evolution of the film's Dark Knight, particularly in regard to his unique and unforgettable look. "First of all, before we started to create the outfit or the armor, we wanted to first find out who's underneath the armor. Who's the man or the person under, or, you know, inside the armor," Meza-León explained. "Because Batman is human first of all, you know. So let's build the human first and from there build the suit around it... So the design was based [on] a lot of actual armor from the Spanish as well as trying to emulate the warrior outfits from the Aztec warriors like the Jaguar Warriors, the Eagle Warriors. And so they had these helmets that represent the animal, the spirit that they are representing. So we wanted him to have a similar idea, but with the bat god, you know to represent Tinakan. And that was the key element that led us into creating the Batman story."

Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires will be available for streaming on HBO Max beginning Sept. 19.