“You’ll see some of the early ones are a bit raw”: Batman: The Animated Series Season 1 Has a Serious Flaw Thanks to Bruce Timm’s Request

Although there has been a plethora of onscreen adaptations of the Batman mythos, to many, the 1992 series still remains the definitive version of the character and his rouges’ gallery. While most of it had to do with Bruce Timm and Paul Dini’s brilliance, one cannot undermine the contribution of the amazing voice cast, which involved the likes of Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Arleen Sorkin, etc.

For that, we have Andrea Romano to thank, who served as casting and voice director on the acclaimed show. However, getting the tone of the show right took Romano a while, as this was unlike anything she had been part of before.

Getting Bruce Timm’s Vision Right Took Andrea Romano a Few Episodes

It’s hard to separate Batman from his dark brooding identity nowadays, but this wasn’t exactly the case three decades back. Andrea Romano, who was only familiar with Adam West’s campy portrayal of the caped crusader, recalled being completely inexperienced when it came to tackling such dark themes. So when Bruce Timm pitched her the idea that “they’re going to do something that’s very different for Warner Brothers called Batman: The Animated Series”, it took her a while to rise up to the challenge.

Romano stressed that it was a learning curve, and took her a few episodes to get her rhythm, as a result, the initial episodes in the acclaimed show can seem a bit raw and cartoony.

She told Starburst Magazine:

“All these guys who had a very clear image of what they wanted this new series to be; which was dark, dark, dark! I had never directed a series like that. It was a bit of a learning curve, and if you watched some of the first episodes of Batman: The Animated Series you’ll see some of the early ones are still a bit raw, a bit cartoony.”

Eventually, she hit the right strings and had a clear vision of the show, and the rest of the journey was smooth sailing from there.

Finding the Perfect Fit for Batman Was a Tedious Process

But before getting into the actual show, finding the perfect voice for Batman was a tedious process for Romano. Despite narrowing down to five names after listening to over 500 voices, the former voice director still couldn’t choose the right actor for the part. But then came Kevin Conroy, who was referred to Romano by her casting director.

However, Conroy, who, similar to Romano, was only familiar with Adam West’s Batman, initially showcased an interest in auditioning for Harvey Bullock and Commissioner Gordon. But Romano was having none of it,  as she told Conroy: “Stop trying to talk us out of hiring you”, and as a result, Conroy stuck to voicing Batman.

Batman: The Animated Series is available to stream on Max.