Those who have picked up the two most recent DVD or Blu-Ray releases from DC Entertainment have been treated to a special short at the beginning of each film. On the release of Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, fans were treated to an original short featuring The Spectre written by 30 Days of Night scribe Steve Niles. Also, on the recent release of Batman: Under the Red Hood, fans were once again treated to a short, this time focusing on Jonah Hex, with Thomas Jane lending his voice.

Now, Warner Premiere has announced that they will be releasing a full DVD of these collected shorts, including the yet to be seen Green Arrow short that will take place before the feature on the Superman/Batman Apocalypse release. Also included in this compilation is the never-before-seen short starring Superman and Captain Marvel. More from the press release:

In Superman/Shazam! The Return of Black Adam, Clark Kent’s latest interview subject is street kid Billy Batson. What Clark doesn’t know is that Billy is more than a feisty kid with a lot of heart – he has been chosen by an ancient wizard to represent the good of man as the World’s Mightiest Mortal just by invoking the name of the wizard, “Shazam!”  Billy’s powers come none-too-soon, as he also discovers he’s being pursued by a centuries’ old, murderous villain, Black Adam – a foe so powerful, even Superman can’t stop him alone.

The all-star cast of Superman/Shazam! The Return of Black Adam is led by Jerry O’Connell (Crossing Jordan) as Captain Marvel, George Newbern reprising his Justice League role as Superman, Arnold Vosloo (The Mummy) as Black Adam and two-time Emmy Award® winner James Garner (8 Simple Rules) as The Wizard.

The compilation is set to hit stores on DVD and Blu-Ray on November 9th. Check out the complete features of each format after the jump, and be sure to keep it here for more details on this exciting new set!

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All week long, we’ve been bringing you coverage and interviews with the people who brought us DC’s newest animated film, Batman: Under the Red Hood. We spoke with star Bruce Greenwood, who talked about working with the talented John DiMaggio, who fans know best as the voice of Futurama’s Bender.

John has lent his voice to other DC properties, such as Batman: Brave and Bold and Superman: Doomsday, but now he’s taking on one of the biggest roles in DC’s rogues gallery: the Joker.

John brings a quiet insanity to the character, similar to what Ledger brought to the role, but differing from Mark Hammil’s vaudevillian approach to the character. And being the killer of a teenage boy, he needs all the insanity he can bring.

Check out our interview with DiMaggio after the jump, as he discusses his doubts in his performance, as well as his dedication to the fans for resurrecting Futurama. Batman: Under the Red Hood is currently in stores.

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With the resurgence in popularity for comics over the decades, there have been plenty of incarnations of our favorite heroes. In that time, we’ve had two Hulks, three Clark Kents, and nearly a dozen Batman’s. The likes of Christian Bale, Jeremy Sisto, Diederich Bader, and the always talented Kevin Conroy have played the Dark Knight in the 5 few years, and now it’s time for Bruce Greenwood to step in.

This time, Batman faces his greatest foes, one of his former sidekicks. Taken straight from a story arc by Judd Winick about the resurrection of Jason Todd, this story has to be one of the darkest DC animated films to date.

You may know Greenwood best as playing Captain Pike in J.J. Abram’s Star Trek. He joins a star-studded cast including Futurama’s John DiMaggio, Neil Patrick Harris, and even Supernatural’s Jensen Ackles.

We got the chance to discuss playing the World’s Greatest Detective with Bruce Greenwood, as well as his interesting relationship with his on-screen nemesis. Check out the interview after the jump, and pick up Batman: Under The Red Hood in stores today.

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This week may mark the time when fanboys and fangirls recover from last week’s Comic-Con, but it also marks a pretty big week for fans of DC Studios, and more specifically, their animated DVD division. On Tuesday, the studio released their next film in the continuing direct-to-DVD film series in an adaptation of Judd Winick’s Batman: Under The Red Hood.

Much like many of the other DC animated films, this story follows very close to the source material, with a few tweaks to allow a 70 minute film to flow nicely. That also means that this is one of the darkest films that the studio has done to date, with plenty of death and violence. The film is definitely a must for any fan of the franchise or comics in general.

We got a chance to speak with DC Animation guru and producer of the film Bruce Timm about this and a few upcoming projects including All-Star Superman, Batman: Year One, and Green Lantern: Emerald Knights. Also, we spoke with voice director Andrea Romano about casting Bruce Greenwood as this film’s Batman and Futurama’s John DiMaggio as The Joker.

Check out the full interview after the jump, and keep it here all week for more interviews with the cast of Batman: Under The Red Hood.

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With Comic-Con only days away, one of the bigger events during the show will be the world premiere of the DC Universe’s next animated film: Batman: Under The Red Hood. This film will be taking a far more serious approach to the source material and includes the death and trauma of a former Boy Wonder.

We’ll be bringing you plenty of coverage of the film straight from the show next week and we’ve had a few clips for you already to whet your appetite. The first was a few weeks ago when Batman finally confronts his titular enemy. Now the Red Hood is back in a new clip as he confronts Gotham’s top mob bosses.

The movie features an all-star cast with Bruce Greenwood stepping in as the Dark Knight, Jensen Ackles (Supernatural) as The Red Hood, Neil Patrick Harris as Dick Grayson, and John DiMaggio as The Joker. Check out the new clip after the jump. Catch Batman: Under The Red Hood on DVD and Blu-Ray on July 27th.

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The San Diego Comic-Con schedule continues to roll out and now Friday’s list of events, panels, screenings and more has been released. Where Thursday was chock full of diverse programming from comics to movies to a super geek extravaganza in the Joss Whedon / J.J. Abrams panel, Friday has more of a recurring theme going thought it. That theme? Star Wars.

That’s right, Comic-Con has chosen to honor one of the greatest film franchises of all time and bring you several panels and events directly related to that theme. Some of the highlights of Friday’s schedule for us include screenings of Batman: Brave and the Bold, Dimension Film’s Piranha: 3D panel, the Dark Horse Comics panel, AMC’s The Walking Dead panel and the Big Bang Theory panel.

In addition, one of our favorite shows, Spartacus: Blood and Sand, comes to the Con for the first time as well as these: Sony Pictures’ The Other Guys and The Green Hornet panel, a Girls Who Kick Ass panel, the True Blood panel and premiere screening of 30 Days of Night: Dark Days and Batman: Under the Red Hood.

Yes, Friday at San Diego Comic-Con looks to be yet another day chock full of great things to see and experience. Sadly, you won’t get to see it all because you just can’t be in three paces at once. If only they could perfect that cloning technology. We can dream. Until then, get used to some disappointment.

Click through for the full Friday schedule. Of course, be sure to check back right here for more on San Diego Comic-Con.

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Warner Home Video has issued its first press release in connection with the upcoming straight-to-video release of ‘Batman: Under the Red Hood.’ Available for pre-order now, but due to release on DVD and Blu-Ray July 27, 2010, the story deals with the return of Jason Todd, the second Robin who was brutally beaten to death by the Joker.

In the film, Batman faces his ultimate challenge as the mysterious Red Hood takes Gotham City by firestorm. One part vigilante, one part criminal kingpin, Red Hood begins cleaning up Gotham with the efficiency of Batman, but without following the same ethical code. And when The Joker falls in the balance between the two forces of justice, hard truths are revealed and old wounds are reopened.

Within the press release, there is some great Q&A with John DiMaggio, who was announced would be portraying  the Joker, and how his approach to giving voice to this iconic villain differs from previous efforts. Best known for his previous work as ‘Bender’ in the long-running ‘Futurama’ franchise, DiMaggio has an extensive voice-over career spanning the past decade.

With credits like Kim Possible, Samurai Jack, Teen Titans, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, The Spectacular Spider-Man, Duck Dodgers, Jackie Chan Adventures, The Penguins of Madagascar and Chowder, DiMaggio now sets his sights on the much darker role of the Joker in this all-new DC special.

Speaking specifically to his motivation and inspiration in this new role, DiMaggio’s comments give us a sneak peek at this new twist on the Joker, while paying homage to the iconic bad guy’s long and storied past. Check out some quotes straight from the man himself after the jump.

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