Legacies must rise to unearthly challenges as the children of Batman and Superman are charged with saving their famous fathers - and the world - in Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons.
Warner Bros. Animation's first-ever all-CG animated, feature-length film begins as 11-year-old Jonathan Kent discovers he has superpowers, thrusting the half-Kryptonian into the complicated world of Super Heroes and Super-Villains - who are now under attack by a malevolent alien force known as Starro!
It’s a race against time as Jonathan must join forces with assassin-turned-Boy-Wonder Damian Wayne to rescue their fathers and save the planet by becoming the Super Sons they were destined to be!
Rick Morales, the mastermind behind Mortal Kombat Legends, DC Showcase, and a whole host of LEGO movies, produces Battle of the Super Sons, and it's no exaggeration to call this a passion project for the filmmaker. Having cut his teeth on CG TV shows like Green Lantern: The Animated Series and Beware The Batman, he's now bringing that groundbreaking animation style into the DCAU, and it's an absolute game-changer.
Taking us through that, Rick also shares his take on why Superman is so often portrayed as a father these days, his future hopes for this Super Sons franchise, and casting Jack Griffo and Jack Dylan Grazer as the Boy Wonder and Boy of Steel, respectively.
Take a look at the interview below and be sure to click here for our conversation with the director and producer about his work on Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind.
Battle of the Super Sons is making use of that amazing new animation style; where did that idea come from and do you see it as the future of these DC Animated Universe movies given the advances it presents in how you can tell stories? I thought the movie looked like it was on a whole new level.
Well, thanks. I appreciate that. From the very moment that I conceived of the notion of making a Super Sons movie for animation, it was in my head that I would like to do it in CG. I loved working on The Clone Wars, Green Lantern: The Animated Series, Beware The Batman, and the LEGO stuff, so I’ve been very familiar with that world. It seemed like one of those projects that could benefit from it. As far as going forward with the DC stuff, I think there’s room for a bunch of different styles. I like working on a bunch of different styles. I’d like to continue this look and do more Super Sons in the future because it lends itself to that, but I think there are an infinite amount of possibilities and different ways you can take this style. I love the look of The Long Halloween and what James Tucker did. Bruce Timm’s style, as well. I think there’s room for all of it.
The comics, Superman & Lois, and now this movie are all focused on Clark Kent having kids; for you personally, do you think that’s just a natural evolution for the character at this point in his history?
It became interesting to me because I’m a dad. There’s something I can identify with in that. The first thing I thought about before Super Sons became a thing in my head, and this is going back five years ago or so…I really wanted to come up with a pitch for Superman that could revitalise that character from a new perspective or something. I love him so much. A lot of times, you’ll hear people go, ‘Oh, he’s too wholesome or goody-goody,’ and ‘You can't do Superman these days - it’s impossible.’ Whatever. I disagree with that. I felt like, ‘You’re just not looking at it from the right angle.’
That was right around the time the Superman book was coming out right after The New 52 and they introduced Jonathan as a kid. I didn’t particularly like the concept of him having a kid going back to the Superman Returns film. They tried it there, it didn’t work, and I didn’t like how Superman was handled as a father. That didn’t strike me as true to his character. The comic book version did. Immediately, I was like, ‘Oh yeah, this is it. Superman is a dad. How cool is that?’ From the perspective of the kid too, my God, your dad is Superman. You wake up one morning and you find out not only do you have powers, but your dad is Superman. What is your reaction to that? I thought that was an amazing thing to explore.
The comics aged Jonathan up pretty quickly; is that something you’d be keen to explore or would you rather keep him and Damian a little younger should this series continue?
For me, I think there’s too much fertile ground to cover with these two in this age range to even think about wanting to do age them up at this point. My interest doesn’t lie there. I think Jonathan’s character, in this film, is great. He’s this innocent kid and he’s finding out so much and discovering who he is…he’s trying to help Damian be a normal kid too. There’s so much there to build their friendship, I just don’t think there’s any reason to do that.
Jack Griffo and Jack Dylan Grazer are both fantastic, but what was the process of finding the right actors to play Damian and Jonathan?
They were fantastic! I can’t imagine anyone else doing it. I didn’t set out to hire two guys named Jack [Laughs]. It just sort of happened. The funny thing about it is, when you talk to them in person, they’re almost the opposite in their actual personalities. One is more studious than the other, and it’s funny that they end up playing the characters they play. They’re great guys and I got to spend some time with them and they're really kind. They get these characters, they embody them really well, and even though they’re a little older than the ages they’re playing, they’re still able to make that work really well. They get it. I’m very happy to have them on board.
Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons lands on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray and Digital on October 18, 2022.