One of Batman's Most Controversial Stories Will Become a Movie in 2026

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It has been some time since Batman last graced the silver screen, and it will take a little bit before he makes his return. Luckily, a new animated DC movie featuring the Dark Knight is released for home viewing just about every year, and with more to look forward to currently in the pipeline, including one that is taking inspiration from an essential comic book storyline.

Batman: Knightfall: Part 1: Knightfall is now in production, as announced at the end of the Warner Bros. Animation panel, The Art Knight: Batman in Animation, at New York Comic Con. The animated film is based on the iconic Batman: Knightfall arc, which was published by DC Comics from 1993 to 1994 and was told in three storylines called "Knighfall," "Knightquest" and "KnightsEnd."

The comic is one of the most famous Batman stories involving Bane, a criminal who proves to be both a mental and physical match for Bruce Wayne when he leaves the vigilante with a broken back at the devastating conclusion of an intense brawl. Forced to put his crusade against crime on hold in his severely damaged state, The Dark Knight turns to his ally, Jean-Paul Valley, who takes on the responsibility of protecting Gotham City under the name Azrael.

The official synopsis for Batman: Knightfall Part 1: Knightfall has been confirmed.

When the mysterious behemoth known only as Bane frees Batman’s entire Rogue’s Gallery from Arkham Asylum, the Caped Crusader is pushed to his mental and physical breaking point.

Batman: Knightfall Part 1: Knightfall comes from director Jeff Wamester, who has experience with adaptations of groundbreaking DC Comics storylines told in multiple installments, having helmed all three animated Crisis on Infinite Earths movies from 2024. Justice League: Warworld scribe Jeremy Adams is writing the film, for which Rick Morales serves as Supervising Producer, alongside producers Jim Krieg and Kimberly S. Moreau and executive producers Sam Register and Michael Uslan.

Batman: Knightfall's Influence On Previous DC Adaptations

Bane lifting up Batman in The Dark Knight Rises

Batman: Knightfall Part 1: Knightfall will be the first film directly based on the eponymous comic book, but not the first adaptation to take inspiration from it. Knightfall most notably influenced Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises, in which Bane (Tom Hardy) puts Christian Bale's Batman out of commission in the same back-breaking fashion. Of course, Azrael does not show up in the 2012 trilogy ender, leaving Gotham under the masked terrorist's control during Bruce Wayne's recovery at the Lazarus Pit.

Variations of the story would also appear in shows like Batman: The Animated Series (in which Kevin Conroy's Dark Knight just barely avoids Bane's dismantling attack) and The Batman (in which Bane successfully injures Rino Romaon's Bruce Wayne, who returns to defeat him in a mechanical Batsuit). There are also several video games that pay homage to it, such as a sidequest in Batman: Arkham Knight involving Azrael, which is one of the few times Jean-Paul Valley's alter ego has transcended the comic book page. The events of Knightfall are also merely referenced in the animated movies Justice League: Doom and Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, both of which feature Bane in prominent roles.

Batman: Knightfall Part 1: Knightfall is set to release sometime in 2026.