Ethan Hawke’s Batwheels Officially Returns in May on HBO Max

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Ethan Hawke will reprise his role as Batman in the DC animated series. New episodes will be available on HBO Max next month.

HBO Max will release more episodes of the show Bathwheels on May 22nd. These are the third set of episodes from Season 3, which began on December 5th, 2025, and continued with another group of five episodes on February 6th. Bathwheels is a preschool series about vehicles that come to life with the help of the Batcomputer and assist Batman (Hawke) in fighting crime in Gotham City.

HBO Confirms New Batwheels Episodes Arrive This May

As a cartoon fan, I stumbled upon Batwheels back in 2022 when it first dropped on HBO Max. It later made its way to Cartoon Network, too. Honestly, I was surprised to find out it’s already had three seasons and a whopping 83 episodes! DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation are behind it, and they’ve clearly been busy.

The series’ main cast features Zach Galifianakis as the voice of Bam, the Batmobile and team leader. Bruce Wayne is voiced by Hawke, while his classic rival, The Joker, is played by Mick Wingert. A special touch is the inclusion of Adam West’s voice as ‘A.D.A.M,’ Batman’s original Batmobile from the 1966 series, using recordings of West’s original lines.

Even though it’s not a hugely famous Batman series, ‘Batwheels’ received a nomination for Best Animated Preschool Show at the 2024 Annie Awards, thanks to its ‘To the Batmobile!’ episode.

Hawke Previously Turned Down Playing Batman Alongside Jim Carrey

While Ethan Hawke now voices Batman in the show Batwheels, he once hesitated to connect with the character. In the 1990s, he was a contender to play Bruce Wayne in Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever, but the part ultimately went to someone else.

Jim Carrey played The Riddler and Tommy Lee Jones was Harvey Dent, also known as Two-Face, in the film. Nicole Kidman appeared as Dr. Chase Meridian, and Chris O’Donnell played Dick Grayson. The movie was a huge success, earning over $336 million globally and paving the way for the 1997 sequel, Batman & Robin.

Ethan Hawke has said he regretted passing up the chance to play Batman, which makes his current role in Batwheels feel even more special. He explained in a 2011 interview that he didn’t want the pressure of people potentially saying he would have been a good Batman. He now wishes he had taken the role, as it could have opened doors to other opportunities.

Ethan Hawke’s Batwheels returns with new episodes on HBO Max on May 22.

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2026-04-26 16:06