While it's true that fans still have to wait until 2016 to see Batman v. Superman on the big screen, DC is doing its best to make sure its animation division fills in the gaps. Some movies may not be as good as others, but for the most part, DC's animated films are some of the company's best work. With Justice League: Gods and Monsters hitting store shelves earlier this summer, it's time for DC to reveal it's latest animated project.

At first glance, Batman: Bad Blood seems to be a retelling of the Battle for the Cowl storyline from the comics. Then again, Battle for the Cowl was the result of a massive crossover event—how could a single animated feature pull everything together and keep its story cohesive?

Well, as with many of DC's animated adaptations, the team behind Bad Blood is keeping things self-contained. Batman: Bad Blood may have been inspired by Battle for the Cowl, but judging from the film's first trailer, Bad Blood is anything but a carbon copy:

In the original Battle for the Cowl storyline, Bruce Wayne was supposedly killed by Darkseid. However, in Batman: Bad Blood, he's "killed" after sacrificing himself to save the newly revealed Batwoman. It's a clever way of getting around some of the storytelling hurdles: not only does the reworked story allow for a more self-contained film, but it simultaneously introduces fans to a new character.

One thing that's interesting is that much of the cast hints that Bad Blood is merely the jumping-off point of a larger Batman animated universe. Until now, most of DC's animated films have been one-offs, but the idea of something a bit more interconnected is an intriguing one ... let's just hope it doesn't get too convoluted for its own good.

Sadly, DC has yet to reveal an exact release date for its next animated movie. Expect to see Batman: Bad Blood make its debut sometime next year.

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