batman

The announcement that Danny Elfman will replace Junkie XL as the composer of Justice League is one of the first concrete signs of the shift in direction following the departure of Zack Snyder and his replacement by Joss Whedon. Frankly, we were excited by the news. Elfman’s a great composer, with plenty of experience writing music for superhero movies; he composed the music for Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, Ang Lee’s Hulk, and Guillermo del Toro’s Hellboy II: The Golden Army.

We’re still reeling from the loss of Adam West, TV’s original Batman and “Bright Knight” icon of superhero fans. The actor lost a battle with leukemia this weekend, and now Batman co-stars Julie Newmar and Burt Ward weigh in, along with Family Guy producers and many more.

My 18-month-old daughter is suddenly very into superheroes. Every night before bed we do story time; this week she’s become obsessed with a board book called My First Batman Book. Since she likes when I sing the words of her books to her, I naturally began singing the theme to the classic 1960s Batman as part of our nightly ritual. And she liked that so much that this morning, for the very first time, I showed her the old show’s opening credits.

We’ve lost one of comic and TV culture’s most enduring favorites, as original Batman star Adam West has passed away. The smooth-voiced star became iconic for his portrayal of the ‘60s Caped Crusader, earning a place in the pop culture pantheon over the decades.

We’re not sure what’s in the Gotham water; that stars alluded to a Season 3 Harley Quinn cameo that never came to pass, but water is the least of Bruce Wayne’s troubles in Season 4. Instead, Monday’s two-part season finale revealed that a major DC baddie has been right under our noses all along, and will undoubtedly return next year.

The DC universes of TV are still going strong after Supergirl, Flash and Arrow have said goodbye for summer, leaving FOX’s Gotham to bring it home with a two-hour finale next week. Along with it, our first trailer for Season 3’s end brings a look at Alexander Siddig in the infamous role of Ra’s al Ghul, and some familiar looks for the existing characters.

Welcome to ScreenCrush 360! Each Wednesday, the staff of ScreenCrush will bring you a great new ranking from the world of movies (or television, we contain multitudes) in video form. It’s all the fun of a list without all the pain of having to actually read it. Think of Top Five, but longer!

Hey, did you know FOX’s Gotham is based on DC Comics character “Batman”? This “Batman” has colorful rogues, he does, many of whom appear in FOX’s Gotham! Come, see these “Batman” villains in a new trailer for Season 3’s spring return. It’s Bat-mandatory!

Zack Snyder took to Twitter on Wednesday to share a brand-new Justice League poster, and this time everyone’s in profile!

If Gotham’s Joker-heavy “Gentle Art of Making Enemies” serves as any kind of reminder, it’s that the FOX drama will often rise as close as it can to costumed Batman villains without taking the plunge. That said, one of its most enduring creations may finally suit up, as Cory Michael Smith’s Edward Nygma appears to become a costumed Riddler in the April return trailer.

Gotham never exactly hid the fact that Cameron Monaghan’s “Jerome” was intended as a prequel stand-in of sorts for The Joker, but boy, if the final Season 3 episode until spring isn’t punctuating it with a bang. See for yourself in a “white-band” trailer for next week’s “The Gentle Art of Making Enemies,” as FOX finally confers a certain Joker name, amid all the madness.

We’re still not entirely certain the DC universe is built for serial comedy (any more than it was ultra-grim movies), but NBC’s Powerless is giving ample opportunity to flex that DC connection. See for yourself in a new extended trailer, and details of just how much Batman we can really expect to see in the Wayne Security world.