The “Death in the Family” storyline rocked the world of DC Comics in the 1980s. After Dick Grayson decided to retire as Robin and become Nightwing, Batman found a new ward to replace him named Jason Todd. But Jason’s Robin proved to be deeply unpopular with readers, and eventually the decision was made to put his fate in the hands of comics fans.

In the pages of “Death in the Family,” the Joker captured Jason and imprisoned him in a warehouse rigged to explode. DC readers could then dial a 1-900 number to determine whether Jason should survive the explosion or die. When the final tally came in, it was a close vote, but the “Yes, kill him!”s won out over the “No, don’t!”s. Jason Todd was no more. (For a while; he came back eventually because comics.)

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is now turning “Death in the Family” into one of their animated DC movies — and they’ve arrived at a very clever way to adapt that choose-Robin’s-fate gimmick. Batman: Death in the Family will be an interactive cartoon, allowing viewers to choose not only whether Robin lives or dies, but how he survives — either by escaping on his own, or with the help of Batman. The choices viewers make will impact the story they see play out in the film. Here’s the trailer:

Via The Beat, here’s the movie’s official synopsis:

Produced, directed and written by Brandon Vietti, Batman: Death in the Family offers an inventive take on the long-demanded story. In the new animated presentation, the infamous murder of Batman protégé Jason Todd will be undone, and the destinies of Batman, Robin and The Joker will play out in shocking new ways as viewers make multiple choices to control the story. And while Batman: Under the Red Hood provides a baseline, the story also branches in new directions and features several characters previously unseen in the original film.

The film should have significant replay value, since you can go back and change your mind and watch the different ways the story can play out. If you always regretted that Jason Todd died, you can now make it right. (Or you can kill him over and over again, if that’s your weird thing.) Batman: Death in the Family will be available on Blu-ray and Digital HD this fall.

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