Frank Miller, the writer and artist of “300” and Batman comic books that have been immortalized in a series of films for Warner Bros., will write the third chapter in the Dark Knight trilogy, DC Comics announced on Friday.
It’s not clear what the plot of the the mini series titled “The Dark Knight III: The Master Race” will be, but DC announced that it will be released in eight parts, twice per month, beginning in late fall of this year.
“Batman remains my favorite comic book hero and a sequel to Dark Knight is going to be daunting,” Miller said, “but we’ll do our best.”
By “we,” he also means veteran comic book scribe Brian Azzarello, who has been tapped to join Miller in writing the series. Artists have not yet been named.
BREAKING: Frank Miller returns to Batman with THE DARK KNIGHT III: THE MASTER RACE! Details: http://t.co/qGYI3n4eyg https://t.co/tWK2kN0GZB
— DC Comics (@DCComics) April 24, 2015
“We are thrilled to have Frank back home at DC writing Batman,” Dan DiDio and Jim Lee, Co-Publishers for DC Entertainment, said in a statement. “The story he and Brian have crafted is an astounding and triumphant conclusion to this seminal body of work which influenced and shaped generations of readers and creators alike.”
The release is timed with the 30th anniversary of the original “Dark Knight Returns,” which is considered a seminal work in comic book history, and served as the inspiration for much of Christopher Nolan‘s own Batman cinematic trilogy, as well as Zack Snyder‘s forthcoming “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” The series’ four books, in which a Batman of advancing age returns from retirement, are credited with being among the first to depict the dark complexity of spandex-clad heroes.
The second chapter in the trilogy, “Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again,” was released in 2001 over three issues, and depicts a Bruce Wayne forced underground in a society under the rule of Lex Luthor.
As for the latest installment, Azzarello said, “It’s been an amazing experience collaborating with Frank these past six months. I think we have an epic story that these characters truly deserve.”