New look at animated Batman movie reveals a cool, fresh take on the beloved DC hero

A new animated Batman movie titled Batman Azteca: Choque de Imperios (Batman: Clash of Empires) is coming to streaming service Max – and a fresh look at the film has been unveiled. 

“The first official image from the @batman Azteca animated film has been released!” wrote Jose Iturriaga on Twitter. “I had the honor of working as Concept Environment Artist and cannot wait to see the film when it’s released on @streamonmax!” (H/T Screen Rant)

The picture shows the film’s take on Batman, with glowing eyes and an impressive headdress. 

The film will be an all new take on the Caped Crusader, following a character named Yohualli Coatl, who goes on to become Batman – training inside the temple of Tzinacan, the bat god – after Spanish Conquistadors kill his father. Versions of Two-Face and Joker are also involved in the movie; Two-Face is Hernán Cortés, one of the Spanish Conquistadors, and Joker is Yoka, a high priest who is an advisor to King Moctezuma. 

The film will also features takes on Poison Ivy (Forest Ivy), Alfred (Acatzin), and Catwoman (Jaguar Woman). 

“The word you are going to keep hearing is authenticity. Even though it’s a fantastical story,” Warner Bros. executive Peter Girardi said of the film at Annecy International Animation Film Festival last year (H/T Variety). “We have done different interpretations of Batman in the past, specifically in Japan, so it’s a format we were familiar with. But it’s a whole new story, set in that [specific] time. It wasn’t about saying: ‘Oh, he has a shark repellent now.'”

The film doesn’t yet have a release date. While you wait, check out our guide to all the upcoming DC movies and TV shows to get up to speed on the next stage of the cinematic universe, as well as our guide to DCU Chapter One: Gods and Monsters.