Batman in film & Robin". The commercials also featured the Danny Elfman Batman theme from Tim Burton's two films. Actor Bruce Thomas portrayed Batman in these ads, while Michael Gough reprised his role of Alfred Pennyworth in one of the ads. "Baywatch" actress Brooke Burns played Vicki Vale in an ad as well. Actor Brian Stepanek played the Riddler in one ad and Curtis Armstrong played the Joker in another. Following a rejected "Batman" origin story reboot Joss Whedon pitched in December 2002, Warner Bros. hired Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer to script "Batman Begins". The duo aimed for a darker and
Batman: The Animated Series dialogue from the trailer.<ref name="BTAS/TDKR trailer">BTAS/TDKR trailer on The Hub, Web Video.</ref> "Batman: The Animated Series" has been consistently ranked as one of the greatest animated television shows ever made, as well as the most faithful Batman animated series to date. It has been critically and commercially acclaimed for its sophistication, mature writing, voice acting, orchestrated soundtrack, artistic ambition, and faithfulness to the source material. In its 1992 year-end issue, "Entertainment Weekly" ranked the series as one of the top television series of the year. In his reference book, "Batman: The Complete History", Les Daniels described "The Animated Series" as