Batman: Knightfall (2026) is arriving later this year, and now we have an update on the runtime.
According to a new report from TheDirect, DC Studios has confirmed that Batman: Knightfall Part 1 will run for 1 hour and 18 minutes, placing it on the shorter end of recent DC animated features.
The runtime was listed via an official festival entry, as cited in the report, which notes:
“DC Studios, via the official Annecy Festival listing has confirmed a short runtime of 1 hour, 18 minutes, and 31 seconds for the upcoming animated Batman: Knightfall Part 1: Knightfall movie.”
The decision to keep the film under 80 minutes reflects the structure of the project itself. Rather than attempting to compress the entire Knightfall storyline into a single feature, DC is splitting it into multiple parts.
The opening chapter focuses on the rise of the Rogues' Gallery villain Bane and the early stages of Gotham’s collapse under escalating pressure from its criminal underworld.
The Knightfall storyline, which depicts the moment Bruce Wayne is physically and psychologically broken, forcing him to confront the limits of his role as Gotham’s protector, remains one of the most influential comic book arcs in Batman history.
Feature animated adaptations based on popular comic book runs have long played a parallel role in shaping the character’s legacy, from Batman: Mask of the Phantasm to Batman: The Long Halloween, reinforcing how flexible the character is across formats.
Related: DCU ‘Batman' Reboot Shares First In-Movie Look at Lead Actor : Disney Fanatic
The runtime confirmation arrives at a time when Batman is experiencing a rare multi-platform presence across both animation and live-action.
Matt Reeves’ grounded interpretation continues with The Batman Part II (2027), while DC Studios is simultaneously developing The Brave and the Bold (TBA), a separate reboot that will introduce a new cinematic Batman within the DC Universe under James Gunn and Peter Safran. The highly anticipated video game LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight (2026) also releases later this month.
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