Warner Bros. has officially announced a high-definition Blu-ray remaster of the 1993 Batman: The Animated Series spinoff movie Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. The feature-length film was the cinematic continuation of the animated series and featured familiar characters like Batman and the Joker, along with new nemeses and a romance that could have put an end to the hero that is Batman.
Mask of the Phantasm, directed by Eric Radomski and Bruce Timm, follows Batman as he tries to uncover the identity of a masked vigilante who has been murdering mobsters and pinning the crime on Gotham’s most notorious and entrench vigilante – Batman himself. The movie digs into Batman’s past and pinpoints the exact moment at which Bruce Wayne decided to become the Caped Crusader.
The devious Phantasm leads Batman on a chase around Gotham as the Dark Knight tries to unravel a knotted bundle of deceit woven in Gotham’s extensive crime network. The movie features an all-star cast of voice actors including Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Abe Vigoda and Dana Delany.
The film proved so popular that two novelizations were released in 1993, followed by a comic book adaptation by Kelley Puckett and Mike Parobeck that was eventually included in the VHS release of the movie.
Mask of the Phantasm was originally released in standard definition on LaserDisc and VHS in 1994. The remaster will up the resolution to 1080p, while leaving the aspect ratio open for viewers to decide. The remaster will support both an updated 16:9 aspect ratio and the film’s original 4:3 aspect ratio. Subtitles will be included along with English DTS HD-Master Audio 2.0 Stereo sound and a bonus theatrical trailer.
Warner Bros. has not yet announced a release date for the Batman: Mask of the Phantasm remaster.
