'Batman: Year One' casts McKenzie, Cranston

Ben McKenzie and Bryan Cranston have signed to lead the voice cast of the forthcoming Batman: Year One animated movie.

Southland star McKenzie will voice Batman/Bruce Wayne in the previously rumoured project, which is based on Frank Miller's 1987 comic that explores the DC hero's origins as a masked crime fighter, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Cranston will play Lieutenant James Gordon, as the story also recounts the beginning of Gordon's career with the Gotham police.

Dollhouse star Eliza Dushku and Battlestar Galactica actress Katee Sackhoff have also signed to voice characters in the film.

Dushku will play Catwoman while Sackhoff will portray Gordon's love interest Detective Sarah Essen.

Alex Rocco has also boarded the cast to play Gotham crime lord Carmine Falcone.

Animator and executive producer Bruce Timm described the animated movie as "a pretty straight forward literal retelling" of the original comic.

Cranston, who initially turned down the project, praised the "level of storytelling in animation" of DC movies.

"They didn't give the characters the short shrift. I was stunned," the Breaking Bad star explained.

Batman: Year One has been given a PG-13 rating and will arrive on home video this fall.

The film will have its world premiere at the San Diego Comic-Con in July.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard recently joined the cast of the next big-screen Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises.