Ethan Hawke’s 3-Part Batman Series Is One Of DC’s Unique Releases

Ethan Hawke becomes Bruce Wayne in a multi-season Batman series, and while this DC show is certainly not for everyone, the project is one of the franchise’s unique offerings to date. Batman is DC’s most popular hero. To that end, he has had several adaptations, including the splashy live-action Batman movies, and the vibrant Batman animated series and films.

Over the years, many stars have had the opportunity to give life to the Dark Knight. Some of the live-action Batman actors include Robert Pattinson — he will return in 2027’s The Batman 2 — Ben Affleck, Michael Keaton, Christian Bale, and more. As for the animated side, Kevin Conroy, Troy Baker, Jensen Ackles, and more voiced Batman. Well, Ethan Hawke came close to the first group and is now part of the second.

Ethan Hawke Almost Played Batman In Live-Action

After Michael Keaton played Bruce Wayne in two DC movies, the role was recast for 1995’s Batman Forever, which marked a drastic change in tone and direction for the superhero franchise. When looking at actors to replace Keaton, Joel Schumacher was reportedly considering Ethan Hawke, who confirmed the ordeal in 2011 to Details (via ComicBookMovie), saying, “Now I wish I’d done it because I could have used it to do other things.”

In the end, Hawke followed his own path, with Val Kilmer being cast to lead Batman Forever, which would end up being his only movie as Bruce Wayne, as the actor was replaced by George Clooney in 1997’s Batman & Robin. Ethan Hawke’s history with the character had seemingly ended that way, but a 2022 DC release changed the game.

Ethan Hawke’s Batman Series Is A Unique DC Release

Hawke might not have played the Dark Knight in live-action, but he finally got the chance to fix his mistake by voicing Batman in DC’s successful Batwheels. The Batman animated series debuted on HBO Max on September 17, 2022. Since then, three seasons of Batwheels have been released so far, with Hawke voicing Batman in over 100 entries, between episodes and shorts.

His most recent performance as the Dark Knight comes in Batwheels season 3, which has new episodes airing in 2026. The show is a unique project within DC’s slate of releases. While there have been multiple animated series focused on the Dark Knight, Batwheels is a superhero project that merges elements of popular children’s programming like the Cars movies and PAW Patrol.

Simply put, there is nothing exactly like it out there in the genre, adding an exciting layer to Hawke’s portrayal of Batman. The actor does a phenomenal job in the role, delivering a classic Batman voice that fits the comedic timing that a TV show focused on the Bat-Family’s vehicles asks for. This is a campy Batman release, bringing things full circle for Hawke after passing on Batman Forever.