In the first trailer for Warner Bros.’ upcoming Batman: Soul of the Dragon animated film, Bruce Wayne’s well into his career as Gotham’s Dark Knight and building a reputation for himself as one of the world’s most preeminent brawlers. But when Bruce catches wind that one of the mentors who turned him into the fighter he is has suddenly gone missing, he knows he won’t be able to solve the mystery behind the disappearance alone.
Batman: Soul of the Dragon sees Bruce Wayne (David Giuntoli) teaming up with Ben Turner (Michael Jai White), the man destined to become Bronze Tiger; Richard Dragon (Mark Dacascos); and the legendary Lady Shiva (Kelly Hu) — all of whom studied martial arts together under the tutelage of O-Sensei (James Hong).
In the first trailer, Bruce makes little attempt at concealing his double life from his former classmates when they reunite to save their teacher, because while maintaining his secret identity might be important in most other circumstances, O-Sensei’s fate takes priority here. If the movie’s title wasn’t clue enough, Soul of the Dragon’s also something of a period film set in the ‘70s, meaning that its overall tone and style is meant to bring to mind kung fu movies of the time. This incarnation of Batman and his allies are less interested in talking and more focused on getting right down to fighting.
Batman: Soul of the Dragon, directed by Sam Liu, releases on January 26, 2021.