New LEGO Batman Movie images gives us our first look at Joker and Robin

While Ben Affleck's solo Batman film is at least two years away from its cinematic release, the wait for the return of his LEGO counterpart in The LEGO Batman Movie is thankfully much shorter. We'll be hearing much more about the highly anticipated spin-off at San Diego Comic Con this week, but until then we can feast our eyes on four new images from the film (via USA Today) that give us our first look at Zach Galifianakis' Joker and Michael Cera's Robin. 

Check it out below...

While the images don't reveal much by way of plot, director Chris McKay noted that "The Joker sees himself on the same level as Batman, a peer, at the top of the game. But Batman says that’s not the case, which sends Joker into a spiral trying to prove to Batman that he is indeed the greatest enemy". That sounds like a much different take on the relationship than anything we've seen before, but that doesn't necessarily mean it will be less interesting.

As for Robin - whom, in a funny twist, will be "accidentally" adopted by Bruce Wayne at a charity auction - McKay describes the Boy Wonder as "a super-positive kid who always sees the glass as half full. Really, at the end of the day, he just wants a hug". Given this version of Batman has already been established as a bit of a loner, this dynamic has a lot of potential for great humour. Here's hoping we'll have more info by the end of the week.

Directed by Chris McKay and featuring the voices of Will Arnett, Zach Galifianakis, Rosario Dawson, Ralph Fiennes, Mariah Carey, The LEGO Batman Movie opens in the UK and US on February 10, 2017.

Images: Warner Bros.

Amon Warmann

Amon is a contributing editor and columnist for Empire magazine, but is also a Film and TV writer for GamesRadar+, Total Film, and others. He has also written for NME, Composer Mag, and more, along with being a film critic for TalkSport. He is also the co-host of the Fade to Black Podcast, and a video mashup creator. Can also do a pretty good Bane impersonation.