View source for Batman (1966 film)

{{Short description|Film directed by Leslie H. Martinson}}
{{Redirect|Batman: The Movie|the video game|Batman (1989 video game)|other uses|Batman in film}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2023}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Batman
| image = Batman1966Poster.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = [[Leslie H. Martinson]]
| producer = [[William Dozier]]
| writer = [[Lorenzo Semple Jr.]]
| based_on = {{Based on|[[Batman]]||[[Bob Kane]] (credited) and<br />[[Bill Finger]] (uncredited)}}
| starring = {{Plainlist|
* [[Adam West]]
* [[Burt Ward]]
* [[Lee Meriwether]]
* [[Cesar Romero]]
* [[Burgess Meredith]]
* [[Frank Gorshin]]
}}
| narrator =
| music = [[Nelson Riddle]]
| cinematography = Howard Schwartz
| editing = [[Harry Gerstad]]
| production_companies = Greenlawn Productions
| distributor = [[20th Century Fox]]
| released = {{Film date|1966|7|30}}
| runtime = 104 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 104:44--><ref>{{cite web | url=https://bbfc.co.uk/releases/batman-film | title=''BATMAN'' (U) | work=[[British Board of Film Classification]] | date=August 16, 1966 | access-date=December 20, 2015 | archive-date=December 22, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222153227/http://bbfc.co.uk/releases/batman-film | url-status=dead}}</ref>
| country = United States
| language = English
| budget = {{US$|1.378 million |long=no|link=yes}}<ref>Solomon, Aubrey. ''Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History (The Scarecrow Filmmakers Series)''. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1989. {{ISBN|978-0-8108-4244-1}}. p254</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Batman-The-Movie#tab=summary |title=Batman – The Movie (1966) |website=[[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]] |access-date=December 28, 2020 |archive-date=October 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171027045805/http://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Batman-The-Movie#tab=summary |url-status=live}}</ref>
| gross = {{US$|3.9 million |long=no}} (rentals)<ref name="Fox"/>
}}
'''''Batman''''' (also known as '''''Batman: The Movie''''') is a 1966 American [[superhero film]] directed by [[Leslie H. Martinson]]. Based on the [[Batman (TV series)|television series]], and the first full-length theatrical adaptation of the [[DC Comics]] [[Batman|character of the same name]], the film stars [[Adam West]] as Batman and [[Burt Ward]] as [[Robin (comics)|Robin]]. The film hit theaters two months after the last episode of the first season of the television series. The film includes most members of the original TV cast, with the exception of [[Julie Newmar]] as [[Catwoman]], who, in the film, was replaced by [[Lee Meriwether]].

==Plot==
When Batman and Robin get a tip that Commodore Schmidlapp, owner of the Big Ben Distillery, is in danger aboard his yacht, they launch a rescue mission using the [[Batcopter]]. As Batman descends on the bat-ladder to land on the yacht, it suddenly vanishes beneath him. He rises out of the sea with a shark attacking his leg. After Batman dislodges it with bat-[[shark repellent]], the shark explodes. Batman and Robin head back to Commissioner Gordon's office, where they deduce that the tip was a set-up by the United Underworld, a gathering of four of the most powerful villains in [[Gotham City]]: [[Joker (character)|the Joker]], [[Penguin (character)|the Penguin]], [[Riddler|the Riddler]], and [[Catwoman|the Catwoman]].

The four criminals equip themselves with a dehydrator that can turn humans into dust until they are rehydrated (an invention of Schmidlapp's, who is unaware that he has been kidnapped), escape in a war-surplus, pre-atomic submarine made to resemble a penguin, and recruit three pirate-themed henchmen (Bluebeard, Morgan and Quetch). Batman and Robin learn that the yacht was really a holographic projection and return via [[Batboat]] to a buoy concealing a projector, where they are trapped on the buoy by a magnet and targeted by torpedoes. They use a radio-detonator to destroy two of the torpedoes, and a [[porpoise]] sacrifices itself to intercept the last one. Catwoman, disguised as Soviet journalist Kitka, helps the group kidnap Bruce Wayne and pretends to be kidnapped with him, as part of a plot to lure Batman and finish him off with another of Penguin's explosive animals (of course unaware that Wayne is Batman's alter-ego).

After Wayne fights his way out of captivity, he again disguises himself as Batman, and the Dynamic Duo returns to the United Underworld's HQ, only to find a smoking bomb. Batman is met with frustration rushing all over the docks unable to locate a safe place to dispose of the bomb but finally does so in the nick of time. The Penguin disguises himself as the Commodore and schemes his way into the [[Batcave]] along with five dehydrated henchmen. This plan fails when the henchmen unexpectedly disappear into [[antimatter]] once struck: the Penguin mistakenly rehydrated them with toxic [[heavy water]] used to recharge the Batcave's [[atomic pile]], leaving them highly unstable. Ultimately, Batman and Robin are unable to prevent the kidnapping of the dehydrated [[United Nations Security Council|United World Organization's Security Council]], consisting of ambassadors from Japan, the U.S, the U.S.S.R., Israel, France, Spain, West Germany, the United Kingdom, and Nigeria. Giving chase in the [[Batboat]] to retrieve them (and Miss Kitka, presumed by the duo as still captive), Robin uses a sonic charge weapon to disable The Penguin's submarine and force it to surface, where a fist fight ensues.

Although Batman and Robin come out on top, Batman is heartbroken to discover that his "true love" Miss Kitka is actually Catwoman when she loses her mask. Commodore Schmidlapp accidentally breaks the powdered Council members' vials and sneezes on them, scattering the dust. Batman sets to work, constructing an elaborate Super Molecular Dust Separator to filter the mingled dust. Robin asks him whether it might be in the world's best interests for them to alter the dust samples so that humans can no longer harm one another. In response, Batman says that they cannot do so, reminding Robin of the fate of the Penguin's henchmen and their tainted rehydration, and can only hope for people, in general, to learn to live together peacefully on their own.

With the world watching, the [[Security Council]] is re-hydrated. All members are restored alive and well, but continue to squabble amongst themselves, totally oblivious of their surroundings; however, each of them now speaks the language and displays the stereotypical mannerisms of a nation other than their own. Batman quietly expresses his sincere hope to Robin that this "strange mixing of minds" does more good than harm. The duo quietly leaves [[United Nations Headquarters|United World Headquarters]] by climbing out of the window and descending on their bat-ropes.

==Cast==
[[File:Batman and Robin 1966.JPG|thumb|upright|[[Burt Ward]] and [[Adam West]] as [[Robin (character)|Robin]] and [[Batman]]]]
{{div col}}
* [[Adam West]] as [[Batman|Bruce Wayne / Batman]]
* [[Burt Ward]] as [[Dick Grayson]] / [[Robin (character)|Robin]]
* [[Lee Meriwether]] as [[Catwoman|The Catwoman]], Kitka
* [[Cesar Romero]] as [[Joker (character)|The Joker]]
* [[Burgess Meredith]] as [[Penguin (character)|The Penguin]]
* [[Frank Gorshin]] as [[Riddler|The Riddler]]
* [[Alan Napier]] as [[Alfred Pennyworth|Alfred]]
* [[Neil Hamilton (actor)|Neil Hamilton]] as [[Jim Gordon (character)|Commissioner Gordon]]
* [[Stafford Repp]] as [[Chief Miles O'Hara|Chief O'Hara]]
* [[Madge Blake]] as [[Aunt Harriet Cooper|Aunt Harriet]]
* [[Reginald Denny (actor)|Reginald Denny]] as Commodore Schmidlapp
* [[Milton Frome]] as Vice Admiral Fangschleister
* [[Gil Perkins]] as Bluebeard
* [[Dick Crockett]] as Morgan
* [[George Sawaya]] as Quetch
* [[Teru Shimada]] as Japanese Delegate
* [[Maurice Dallimore]] as United Kingdom Delegate
* [[Gregory Gaye]] as Soviet Delegate
* [[Albert Carrier]] as French Delegate
* [[Van Williams]] (''uncredited voice'') as President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]]<ref>Van Hise, James, "The man who played The Green Hornet" {{sic}}, ''The Green Hornet Book'', Shuster and Shuster, Inc., 1988, p.16.</ref>
{{div col end}}

==Production==
===Development===
[[William Dozier]] wanted to make a big-screen film to generate interest in his proposed ''[[Batman (TV series)|Batman]]'' television series by having the feature in theaters while the first season of the series was rolling before the cameras. The studio, [[20th Century-Fox]], refused because it would have to cover the entire cost of a movie, while it would only have to share the cost of a TV series (a much less risky proposition).<ref>Garcia, Bob, "Batman: Making the Original Movie", ''[[Cinefantastique]]'', Volume 24, #6/Vol. 25, #1 (double issue), February 1994, p. 55.</ref>

The studio acquiesced after a 1965 screening of [[Columbia Pictures]]' 1943 ''[[Batman (serial)|The Batman]]'' serial in New York City renewed interest in the character and after the television series became phenomenally successful. The project was announced in a March 26, 1966, issue of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' magazine.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Batman|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/22825-BATMAN?sid=7dcd061f-865a-4d8d-8782-2e8595c497cb&sr=10.692742&cp=1&pos=1|access-date=June 9, 2021|website=catalog.afi.com}}</ref>

The film features many characters from the show. It was written by series writer [[Lorenzo Semple Jr.]] and directed by [[Leslie H. Martinson]],<ref>{{cite news | author = Geoff Boucher | url = http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2010/05/17/batman-flash-gordon-lorenzo-semple-jr/ | title = Camp it up: The writer of 'Batman' and 'Flash Gordon' answers five questions | date = May 17, 2010 | work = [[Los Angeles Times]] | access-date = December 3, 2010 | archive-date = October 15, 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121015005510/http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2010/05/17/batman-flash-gordon-lorenzo-semple-jr/ | url-status = live}}</ref> who had directed a pair of the television series season one episodes: "[[The Penguin Goes Straight]]" and "[[Not Yet, He Ain't]]". Semple Jr. completed the screenplay in 10 days. Principal photography began on April 28, 1966, and concluded within 28 days, with a further three days to complete second-unit photography.<ref name=":0" />

===Casting===
[[File:Batman villains The Penguin The Riddler The Joker 1967.JPG|thumb|180px|The Penguin ([[Burgess Meredith]]), the Riddler ([[Frank Gorshin]]) and the Joker ([[Cesar Romero]]) in 1966. These actors also played the television roles.]]
[[File:Catwoman Lee Meriwether 1966.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Lee Meriwether]] acted as Catwoman in the film (pictured), replacing [[Julie Newmar]], who played Catwoman in the first two seasons of the television series.]]
The film includes most members of the original TV cast: the actors for Batman, Robin, Alfred, Gordon, O'Hara, Aunt Harriet, the Joker, the Penguin, and the Riddler all reprised their roles. Though [[Julie Newmar]] had at this point played [[Catwoman]] in two episodes of [[List of Batman television episodes#Season 1: 1966|season one]] in the [[Batman (TV series)|TV series]], she had other commitments at that time<ref>Garcia, Bob, "Batman: Catwoman", ''[[Cinefantastique]]'', Vol. 26, #6/Vol. 7, #1 (double issue), February 1994, p. 19 (interview with Julie Newmar).</ref> and was replaced by [[Lee Meriwether]] in the film. According to the ''[[Biography (TV series)|Biography]]'' special ''Catwoman: Her Many Lives'' aired on July 20, 2004, Newmar was unable to reprise her role because of a back injury. [[Catwoman]] was nonetheless played by Newmar once again in the following eleven episodes of [[List of Batman television episodes#Season 2: 1966–67|season two]] of the series; [[Eartha Kitt]] would then play [[Catwoman]] in three episodes of [[List of Batman television episodes#Season 3: 1967–68|season three]].

[[Jack LaLanne]] has a cameo as a man on a rooftop with bikini-clad women.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kiddiematinee.com/b-batman.html |title=BATMAN (1966, U.S.) |publisher=Kiddiematinee.com |access-date=January 31, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101220084913/http://kiddiematinee.com/b-batman.html |archive-date=December 20, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Tone and themes===
Even though it is often described (like many contemporary shows) as a parody of a popular comic-book character, some commentators believe that its comedy is not so tightly confined. They felt the film's depiction of the Caped Crusader "captured the feel of the contemporary comics perfectly".<ref>[http://www.stomptokyo.com/movies/batman-66.html Stomp Tokyo Video Reviews – Batman (1966)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180118224546/http://www.stomptokyo.com/movies/batman-66.html|date=January 18, 2018}}. Retrieved January 14, 2011.</ref> The film was made at a time when "the Batman of the [[Golden Age of Comic Books|Golden Age comics]] was already essentially neutered".<ref name="Groucho">{{Cite web |last1=Canavese |first1=Peter |url=http://www.grouchoreviews.com/reviews/2125 |title=GrouchoReviews.com Review of 'Batman' |work=GrouchoReviews |access-date=January 19, 2013 |archive-date=May 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512070557/http://www.grouchoreviews.com/reviews/2125 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Certain elements verge into direct parody of the history of Batman. The movie, like the TV series, is strongly influenced by the comparatively obscure 1940s serials of Batman, such as the escapes done almost out of luck.<ref name="Groucho" /> The penchant for giving devices a "Bat-" prefix and the dramatic use of stylized title cards during fight scenes acknowledge some of the conventions that the character had accumulated in various media, but the majority of ''Batman''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> campier moments can be read as a broader parody on contemporary mid-1960s culture in general.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/B/htmlB/batman/batman.htm |title=Museum of Broadcast Communication's entry on the parent TV show |publisher=Museum.TV |access-date=December 25, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020620023932/http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/B/htmlB/batman/batman.htm |archive-date=June 20, 2002 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Furthermore, the movie represented Batman's first major foray into [[Cold War]] issues, paying heavy attention to [[UGM-27 Polaris|Polaris Missiles]], [[War surplus|war surplus submarines]] and taking a poke at [[the Pentagon]]. The inclusion of a glory-hunting presidential character and the unfavorable portrayal of Security Council Members marked Batman's first attempts to poke fun at domestic and international politics.<ref>Batman at 45: A Milestone Tribute to Pow, Bam and Zap!, Chris Gould, 2011</ref>

===Vehicles===
[[File:1960s Batmobile (FMC).jpg|thumb|right|The Batmobile as seen in the 1960s ''Batman'' TV series (photo 2003)]]
Besides the [[Batmobile]], other vehicles used by The Dynamic Duo include:
* [[Batcycle]] with side car
* [[Batboat]], provided by [[Glastron]]
* [[Batcopter]]

Of the three new Batvehicles which first appeared in the ''Batman'' film, only the [[Batcycle]] properly crossed over into the [[Batman (TV series)|TV series]] as the budgetary limits of the TV series precluded the full use of the others. While the [[Batcopter]] and [[Batboat]] from the movie appeared briefly in episodes (including a use of the Batboat in the conclusion of the first post-film two-parter: "[[Walk the Straight and Narrow]]"), they primarily did so in the form of stock-footage scenes from the film intercut into the series.

==Music==
[[Nelson Riddle]]'s original score to ''Batman the Movie'' was released in 2010 by La-La Land Records and [[Fox Music]]. The album contains the entire score as heard in the film in chronological order as well as an unreleased cue. This limited edition includes a lavishly illustrated color booklet which features exclusive liner notes by Brian Baterwhite. This Limited Edition was of 2000 units.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://lalalandrecords.com/Site/Batman1966.html |title=Film music &#124; movie music&#124; film score &#124; BATMAN the Movie 1966 - Nelson Riddle - Limited Edition |access-date=April 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180424140152/http://lalalandrecords.com/Site/Batman1966.html |archive-date=April 24, 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

It was newly re-issued in 2016. While the program and master of this release is identical to the 2010 release, this reissue features all-new exclusive liner notes by John Takis and art design by Jim Titus. This new Limited Edition is of 2500 units.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://lalalandrecords.com/Site/Batman-TheMovie-ReIssue.html |title=Film music &#124; movie music&#124; film score &#124; BATMAN the Movie 1966 - Nelson Riddle - Limited Edition |access-date=April 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180424140302/http://lalalandrecords.com/Site/Batman-TheMovie-ReIssue.html |archive-date=April 24, 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Release==
===Theatrical===
''Batman'' premiered at the [[Paramount Theatre (Austin, Texas)|Paramount Theatre]] in [[Austin, Texas]], on July 30, 1966 (between the first and second seasons of the [[Batman (TV series)|TV series]]); it was moderately successful at the box office. The [[Batboat]] featured in the film was created by Austin-based company [[Glastron]], whose payment was in having the film premiere in their hometown. In conjunction with the premiere, Jean Boone of Austin CBS affiliate station [[KTBC (TV)|KTBC]] interviewed the film's cast, including [[Lee Meriwether]], [[Cesar Romero]], and [[Adam West]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Jean Boone – Interview with Cast of Batman, The Movie (1966)|url=http://www.texasarchive.org/library/index.php?title=Jean_Boone_-_Interview_with_Cast_of_Batman%2C_The_Movie_%281966%29&gsearch=batman|work=Gordon Wilkison Collection|publisher=Texas Archive of the Moving Image|access-date=July 28, 2011|date=July 1966|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413144128/http://www.texasarchive.org/library/index.php?title=Jean_Boone_-_Interview_with_Cast_of_Batman%2C_The_Movie_%281966%29&gsearch=batman|archive-date=April 13, 2014}}</ref>

===Television===
ABC, the network which previously aired the [[Batman (TV series)|''Batman'' television series]], first broadcast the film on the July 5, 1971, edition of ''[[The ABC Sunday Night Movie]]''; the film was quickly rebroadcast on ABC September 5 of that year.

===Home media===
The film debuted on home video via formats [[VHS]] and [[Betamax]] release in 1985 by [[CBS/Fox Video|Playhouse Video]],<ref>{{cite news |last1=Walker |first1=Morley |title=Video Scene: Clint Can Do No Wrong |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/736681935 |access-date=2 December 2023 |work=Newspapers.com |publisher=The Winnipeg Sun |date=13 Dec 1985 |page=F8 |language=en |quote=Its distributor, Playhouse Video, has put the big push on this tape. It'll retail for $29.95.}}</ref> then apparently re-released (after a [[Blockbuster Video]] executive asked why it ''wouldn't'' be repackaged on the heels of the successful ''[[Batman (1989 film)|Batman]]'' film of 1989)<ref>{{cite news |last1=Donlon |first1=Brian |title=POW! 'Batman' reruns capturing the market |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/223424523 |access-date=2 December 2023 |work=Newspapers.com |agency=Gannett News Service |publisher=The Courier-News |date=24 Jun 1989 |page=B-3 |language=en |quote="Why didn't CBS-Fox (distributors) put it back into release to coincide with the film?" asks Ron Castell, senior vice president of Blockbuster Video. A CBS-Fox spokesman said there are no plans to do so.}}</ref> in 1989 by [[CBS/Fox Video]],<ref>{{cite news |last1=White |first1=Scott |title=Batman back on silver screen |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/731985303 |access-date=2 December 2023 |work=Newspapers.com |agency=The Canadian Press |publisher=North Bay Nugget |date=5 Feb 1994 |page=B-4 |language=en |quote=Released on video in 1989 by CBS-Fox Video.}}</ref> and in 1994 by [[20th Century Fox Home Entertainment|Fox Video]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Vintage-1994-Batman-The-Movie-VHS-Clamshell-1966 |url=https://www.picclickimg.com/5PgAAOSwUQllRiuw/Vintage-1994-Batman-The-Movie-VHS-Clamshell-1966.webp |publisher=PicClickImg |access-date=2 December 2023}}</ref>

The film was released on DVD in 2001, and re-released July 1, 2008, on [[DVD]] and on [[Blu-ray]] by [[20th Century Fox Home Entertainment]].{{cn|date=September 2025}}

==Reception==
===Box office===
According to Fox records, the film needed to earn $3.2 million in rentals to break even and made $3.9 million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|3.9|1966|r=1}}&nbsp;million in {{Inflation/year|US}}).<ref name="Fox">{{cite book|page=[https://archive.org/details/foxthatgotawayt00silv/page/325 325]|title=The Fox that got away: the last days of the Zanuck dynasty at Twentieth Century-Fox|url=https://archive.org/details/foxthatgotawayt00silv|url-access=registration|last=Silverman|first=Stephen M|year=1988|publisher=L. Stuart|isbn=9780818404856}}</ref>

===Critical response===
''Batman'' holds an 81% rating on [[Rotten Tomatoes]] based on thirty-six reviews. The site's consensus states: "''Batman: The Movie'' elevates camp to an art form -- and has a blast doing it, every gloriously tongue-in-cheek inch of the way." {{MC film|71|4|ref=yes|access-date=March 31, 2023}}

Bill Gibron of Filmcritic.com gave the film 3 out of 5 stars: "Unlike other attempts at bringing these characters to life...the TV cast really captures the inherent insanity of the roles".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.filmcritic.com/misc/emporium.nsf/reviews/Batman-%281966%29 |title=AMC Filmcritic – Batman (1966) Review |publisher=Filmcritic.com |access-date=December 25, 2010}}{{dead link|date=October 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' stated in their review that "the intense innocent enthusiasm of Cesar Romero, Burgess Meredith and Frank Gorshin as the three criminals is balanced against the innocent calm of Adam West and Burt Ward, Batman and Robin respectively".<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117788898.html?categoryid=31&cs=1 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130208232140/http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117788898.html?categoryid=31&cs=1 |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 8, 2013 |title=Variety Reviews – Batman – Film Reviews |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=December 31, 1965 |access-date=December 25, 2010}}</ref>

==Animated sequels==
{{Main|Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders|Batman vs. Two-Face}}
West and Ward reprised their roles in ''Batman'' animated movies for the show's 50th anniversary along with Julie Newmar returning.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/animated-batman-1966-movie/|title=Animated Batman 1966 Movie Coming in 2016|publisher=/Film|last=Lussier|first=Germain|date=March 30, 2015|access-date=January 13, 2021|archive-date=January 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115014238/https://www.slashfilm.com/animated-batman-1966-movie/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://13thdimension.com/exclusive-julie-newmar-will-be-in-batman-66-animated-film/|title=Exclusive: Julie Newmar Will Be In Batman 66 Animated Movie, As of March 2016, no new updates|publisher=13th Dimension|last=Greenfield|first=Dan|date=April 1, 2015|access-date=January 13, 2021|archive-date=April 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403190934/http://13thdimension.com/exclusive-julie-newmar-will-be-in-batman-66-animated-film/|url-status=live}}</ref>

''Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders''<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://io9.gizmodo.com/the-cast-of-batman-66-returns-for-a-new-animated-movie-1785400516/ |title=The Cast of Batman '66 Returns for a New Animated Movie |date=August 17, 2016 |access-date=January 13, 2021 |archive-date=January 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121225611/https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-cast-of-batman-66-returns-for-a-new-animated-movie-1785400516 |url-status=live}}</ref> was released on Digital HD and digital media on October 11, 2016, and on DVD and Blu-ray November 1.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ew.com/article/2016/08/17/batman-adam-west-burt-ward-julie-newmar-animated|title=Adam West, Burt Ward, Julie Newmar return for animated Batman movie|publisher=Entertainment Weekly|last=Slead|first=Evan|date=August 17, 2016|access-date=January 13, 2021|archive-date=January 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121033233/https://ew.com/article/2016/08/17/batman-adam-west-burt-ward-julie-newmar-animated/|url-status=live}}</ref>

A sequel to ''Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders'' called ''Batman vs. Two-Face'' was released on October 10, 2017. The film starred [[William Shatner]] voicing [[Two-Face]] as the main antagonist.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bleedingcool.com/2016/10/06/william-shatner-to-voice-two-face-in-batman-return-of-the-caped-crusaders-sequel/|title=BATMANNNN! William Shatner Will Play Two-Face In Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders Sequel|work=Bleeding Cool|last=Seifert|first=Mark|date=October 6, 2016|access-date=October 6, 2016|archive-date=October 8, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161008151044/http://www.bleedingcool.com/2016/10/06/william-shatner-to-voice-two-face-in-batman-return-of-the-caped-crusaders-sequel/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/BLPYqm3hNAL/ |title=DC on Instagram: "BATMAN: RETURN OF THE CAPED CRUSADERS is getting a sequel, featuring one villain who's a double dose of evil…and you'll never guess who's…" |access-date=January 13, 2021 |archive-date=November 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191109221638/https://www.instagram.com/p/BLPYqm3hNAL/ |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Adam West]] completed his voiceover work, but died of [[leukemia]] in June 2017, before it was released.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/adam-west-star-batman-tv-series-dead-88/story?id=47957680|title='Batman' TV star Adam West dies at 88|date=June 10, 2017|work=ABC News|access-date=June 11, 2017|archive-date=June 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170611045822/http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/adam-west-star-batman-tv-series-dead-88/story?id=47957680|url-status=live}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of American films of 1966]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes}}
* {{TCMDb title}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061004153401/http://www.batmanytb.com/movies/60/index.php ''Batman The Movie''] at BYTB: Batman Yesterday, Today and Beyond (archived 2006)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20101220084913/http://kiddiematinee.com/b-batman.html ''BATMAN'' (1966, U.S.)] at kiddiematinee.com (archived 2010)
* [https://texasarchive.org/2008_00062 Jean Boone – Interview with the cast of ''Batman: The Movie'' (1966)] (archived 2008)

{{Batman fan films}}
{{Batman in popular media}}
{{Batman (TV series)}}
{{DC Comics films}}
{{Leslie H. Martinson}}
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{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Batman (TV series)]]
[[Category:1966 action films]]
[[Category:1960s American films]]
[[Category:1960s buddy films]]
[[Category:1960s superhero films]]
[[Category:1960s English-language films]]
[[Category:20th Century Fox films]]
[[Category:American buddy action films]]
[[Category:American superhero films]]
[[Category:Batman films]]
[[Category:Catwoman in other media]]
[[Category:Cold War submarine films]]
[[Category:Films based on adaptations]]
[[Category:Films based on television series]]
[[Category:Films directed by Leslie H. Martinson]]
[[Category:Films produced by William Dozier]]
[[Category:Films scored by Nelson Riddle]]
[[Category:Films shot in California]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Lorenzo Semple Jr.]]
[[Category:Joker (character) in other media]]
[[Category:Penguin (character) in other media]]
[[Category:Sequel films to television series]]
[[Category:Live-action films based on DC Comics]]
[[Category:English-language action films]]
[[Category:English-language buddy films]]