Move Over, Spider-Man! Batman Live Kicks Off World Tour This Summer; Plot Details Revealed

Spider-Man isn’t the only superhero receiving the stage treatment these days. Batman Live: World Arena Tour will kick off at Manchester’s Evening News Arena on July 20 before hitting other U.K. cities including London, Liverpool, Dublin and Glasgow. The tour is expected to arrive in North America by summer 2012.

Written by Allan Heinberg (TV’s The OC and Gilmore Girls), Batman Live is billed as “an arena spectacular that combines acrobatics, daredevil stunt work, illusions and cutting-edge design to bring the adventures of Batman and Robin to life on stage for the first time in the characters’ history.”

Alan Burnett and Stan Berkowitz have also contributed to the original story which will follow young Dick Grayson, a circus performer who loses his parents to organized crime. Grayson’s quest for justice leads him to his hero, the mysterious vigilante Batman, who happens to be the alter-ego of Grayson’s new guardian, millionaire Bruce Wayne. Grayson eventually adapts the identity of Robin and together the duo fights the criminals of Gotham.

Popular Batman villains The Penguin, The Joker, Catwoman, The Riddler, Two-Face, Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy are also set to appear as well as an all-new Batmobile designed specifically for the production.

“I am delighted to be joining a team as committed to delivering an unparalleled visual spectacle as they are to telling a compelling, emotional story,” Heinberg said. “Batman Live is lovingly faithful to the characters and their distinguished history and it provides a unique opportunity for new and lifelong fans to experience Batman and his world as they never have before.”

The production is presented by Warner Bros. Consumer Products, DC Entertainment, and Water Lane Productions.