Remember Batman: The Animated Series? It's widely considered to be the best on-screen portrayal of the Dark Knight. The show had top-tier animation, superb voice actors, and plot lines that appealed to both kids and adults. More than two decades after its last episode, fans still compare new DC animated material to Batman: TAS.

In the golden age of streaming, content is king. Warner Bros. Animation is teaming up with HBO Max and pulling out the big guns. Recently the two announced production of Batman: The Caped Crusader. It will be an animated show overseen by Matt Reeves and J.J. Abrams. Those two names by themselves are enough to get fans excited. Reeves is currently working on the upcoming DC film The Batman, which stars Robert Pattinson. Abrams, now commonly associated with the Star Wars sequels, cut his teeth with great television shows like Alias, The Fringe, and Lost.

RELATED: This Batman Movie Proved The Hero Can Have Some Humor

The two directors will also be joined by none other than Bruce Timm. He, along with Eric Radomski, created Batman: TAS. Timm has worked on countless other animated DC projects. Without him, the DC "Animated Universe" wouldn't exist. With shows like Justice League Unlimited and Batman Beyond, the DCAU, as it's sometimes called, is a step above most other DC ventures. There looks to be every chance that Batman: Caped Crusader will return to the elements that made Batman: TAS a fan-favorite classic.

Blast To The Past

Batman fights Joker

For any who missed the show, it's worth reviewing what made Batman: The Animated Series so good. The show began its run in September 1992 and concluded in September 1995. In total, Batman: TAS released eighty-five episodes across those three years. Fox Kids hosted the show, but many adult fans of Batman and his world quickly realized the show had been designed with them in mind, as well.

The visual style remains a standout element of Batman: TAS. Its creators took much of their inspiration from the Tim Burton era Batman films. Several different animation studios took on various episodes, and all of them put admirable effort into their work. Famously, Spectrum Animation all but bankrupted themselves airbrushing Mr. Freeze's helmet in every frame of "Heart of Ice." The work paid off. Batman: TAS looks just as good today as it did nearly thirty years ago.

Story-wise, the show took on a much darker tone than most expected from what was, essentially, a series for kids. Batman: TAS modernized the Dark Knight's origin story while also tackling heavy themes of loss and love. The show leaned into the noir elements of the Batman comics and brought "the world's greatest detective" to life in a way that hadn't ever happened outside of the books.

Along with those thematic and stylistic updates, Batman: TAS also brought on high-caliber voice actors like John Glover, Kevin Conroy, and Mark Hamill. The show featured classic Batman villains but introduced new aspects to many of them. Its version of Mr. Freeze as a tragic figure is still the character's most popular iteration. The show introduced Harley Quinn, an all-new character who went on to be added to the comic book continuity and has been featured in several DCEU movies, including the upcoming James Gunn feature The Suicide Squad.

Return To Gotham

Batman JJ Abrams Matt Reeves HBO Max

When Batman: The Caped Crusader comes to HBO Max, it could be a new generation's Batman: The Animated Series. The studios involved have said very little about the show so far, but already there are numerous positive signs. As previously mentioned, Bruce Timm will work as a producer on the new series. An early promo poster features art akin to the previous show's visual style.

Along with Timm, the show's other producers (J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves) had this to say in the new show's announcement: "We are beyond excited to be working together to bring this character back, to tell engrossing new stories in Gotham City. The series will be thrilling, cinematic, and evocative of Batman’s noir roots while diving deeper into the psychology of these iconic characters. We cannot wait to share this new world."

That certainly sounds like the game plan for a soft reboot of Batman: TAS. The mention of "diving deeper into the psychology" of Batman and his fellows is clearly a focus for Reeves. His source material for The Batman takes a deep examination of Bruce Wayne's interior existence. Fans likely won't know more about Batman: The Caped Crusader for a good while. When The Batman releases next March, the world will get a look at how Reeves and star Robert Pattinson handle a new take on Batman and his world. Until then, it may be enough to know that Batman's on-screen future is looking bright. Or, well, dark, but with some top-notch creators leading that darkness in the right direction.

MORE: This Superhero Trope Is Starting To Border On Being Overdone