After more than 30 years of waiting, one of the Batman‘s greatest comic book stories are being adapted into the cinematic format – and it’s a story that well and truly deserves a complete transformation in the world of cinema. Batman’s reputation speaks for itself, with the DC titan remaining one of the franchise’s most popular heroes in comics and on the big and small screen.
That said, even though Batman’s comic book stories play an understandably colossal role in his various on-screen appearances, there are still plenty of character-defining comics that have yet to be fully adapted for the big screen, despite their popularity. It’s exciting that one of Batman’s biggest and best comic book stories is now about to get this cinematic treatment after decades of waiting.
One of Batman’s Greatest Comic Book Stories Finally Gets a Full Adaptation
First released between 1994 and 1995, Knightfall remains even decades later one of the most influential Batman comics of all time, barring juggernauts like The Killing Joke. Featuring Batman and Bane facing off – and the infamous example of Bane breaking Batman’s back – Knightfall works on almost every level a comic book can imagine, earning its reputation and then some.
In the years since, Knightfall has remained a cornerstone of Batman’s comic book history, and adaptations have clearly drawn on the tone and events of the comic, without ever fully adapting the story. However, from 2025 this is about to change.
October 2025 brought the announcement that a Batman: Knightfall the series will come to fruition under Warner Bros. Animationwith the story split into multiple installments and the first part of the next DC film series scheduled for release in 2026, bringing the iconic Batman story to life in a whole new way.
Why it took Knightfall so long to get a full film adaptation
While Batman films wholesale adapting comic book stories aren’t uncommon, it’s a treatment that’s usually given to releases a bit bigger than Knightfall in pop culture – with examples like The Killing Joke and Batman: The Long Halloween mentioned previously.
Of course, there’s also the fact that Knightfall was loosely adapted as part of one of the greatest Batman films of all time: The Dark Knight Rises. As the dark knight rises clearly adapts Knightfall, it also uses elements from several other key comic book stories like No Man’s Land, meaning it’s a mash-up of different narratives.
That said, it’s easy to see why partially adapting Knightfall into such an important and beloved project might encourage DC to focus elsewhere for a while, partly explaining why said full adaptation is only happening now. Let us hope, however, that Batman: Knightfall will know how to devote himself well and truly to one of the best Batman stories of all time.
