When it was announced that there would be a direct-to-DVD feature to bridge whatever gap there may be between Batman Begins and its sequel, The Dark Knight, I was very happy. When they announced that Batman Gothan Knight would feature six different animators from Japan, I was even happier (see “˜Batman Gotham Knight’ First-Look Video + Trailer).

So I must pledge my thanks and heartfelt gratitude to Gregory Noveck, Senior Vice President, Creative Affairs at DC Comics and Executive in Charge of Production for DC Comics on all of the DC Universe films. According to a DC press release, “˜Noveck was instrumental in launching “Batman Gotham Knight” into production, guiding the team toward its original concept and recruiting an amazing array of writing talent for the project.’

I am almost — almost — as excited about Batman Gotham Knight as I am about the Dark Knight Not only is it a brave leap for DC into the world of Anime, which is going to bring the Batman character its own new life, but the format — six individual, yet linking mini-movies –- is going to really open our eyes not just to the developers behind the movies, but to the character and how he is viewed.

When CBR asked Noveck whether he had a favorite among the six movies, he was unsurprisingly cagey. However, he said, “Conceptually, my favorite is probably Josh Olson’s opening segment because you get the unique, individual perception of Batman through the eyes of several people.”

CBR also asked in closing how Batman and comics fans are going to react to the film. “I think fans will be enthralled with the film’s strong blend of original, never-before-seen interpretations of Batman and some very familiar aspects of the character. The visuals of this film are amazing, particularly the unique perspectives of Batman and the detailed, intriguing visions of Gotham City.”

Noveck also pointed to the return of Kevin Conroy, who has been voicing Batman since the Batman the Animated Series days, as the necessary grounding to Batman’s history amongst the new interpretations.

Make sure you check out the full interview, and additional images, over at CBR.

Batman Gotham Knight will arrive July 8, 2008 on DVD and Blu-Ray disc, and will also be available that day On Demand via digital cable and for download through broadband sites.