Peter Weller to Voice Batman in 'The Dark Knight Returns,' Plus Watch the 'Marvel Heroes Online' Teaser Trailer

Peter Weller to Voice Batman in 'The Dark Knight Returns,' Plus Watch the 'Marvel Heroes Online' Teaser Trailer

We’ve got some big Batman news to share today, but oddly enough it doesn’t involve the upcoming The Dark Knight Rises.

Instead, Warner Bros. has announced who will be providing the voice acting for the upcoming two-film adaptation of Frank Miller’s classic The Dark Knight Returns â€" an animated feature based on one of the landmark Batman story arcs. It’s a star-studded cast that should make Bat-Fans happy.

Headlining the project is none other than Robocop himself, Peter Weller, who is set to provide the voice for Bruce Wayne/Batman. He will be joined by Modern Family’s Ariel Winter, who will perform as Robin according to THR.

Also joining the cast are David Selby, Wade Williams (Harvey Dent/Two-face) and Michael McKean (Dr. Wolper).

The tale of The Dark Knight Returns is set in a not-too-distant future where an older Batman has hung up his cowl and retired. Bruce Wayne is forced back into the fray when the city is overrun by a gang known as The Mutants and The Joker is freed to wreak havoc once more. Teaming up with a female Robin, it’s up to Batman to restore order to Gotham City.

The four-book series (which influenced Christopher Nolan’s take on the Batman universe) will be broken up into two feature-length animated films. The first part will be released this fall, with the second half debuting in early 2013.

If that’s not enough comic news for one day, here’s something else that might strike your fancy: Marvel has provided the first glimpse of their new Massively Multiplayer Online game Marvel Heroes Online.

The free-to-play MMO is developed by Gazillion Entertainment and will make its official debut at July’s San Diego Comic-Con. The game promises to combine the action role-playing elements of games like Marvel: Ultimate Alliance with popular online experiences such as World of Warcraft.

Featuring a story from Brian Michael Bendis and a roster of over 8,000 Marvel heroes and villains, the game looks set to satisfy any comic geek’s gaming needs â€" and that’s without even considering that Gazillion is run by David Brevik, a former co-founder of Blizzard North who was instrumental in developing Diablo.

Marvel Heroes will enter a crowded MMO market when it launches â€" including direct competition from rival DC Comics’ DC Universe Online. The key difference between the two titles is that DC’s MMO forces players into creating their own unique hero, while Marvel intends to let players do battle as their favorite comic book icons. Each has its own allure, but we’d much rather spend time playing as The Hulk than some made-up Batman wannabe we created in DC’s game.

Get your first peek at Marvel Heroes Online below and let us know what you think. [via THR]

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