Credit: DC/Warner Bros.DC’s fans still have hope for this Batman franchise reboot!
Batman has got to be one the most popular, if not most successful, not-super superhero for DC Comics. Though many different actors have taken the cape and cowl, the central themes, origin stories, and overall plot of good versus evil remain. Fans of DC Studios already know that Batman: The Brave and the Bold (?) is currently in development for the DC Universe, along with Matt Reeves’ The Batman: Part II (2025), but this Batman film may come as a surprise to even diehard fans!
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While live-action is the current bread and butter of Batman, this hasn’t always been the case. One of the most well-loved iterations of the Dark Knight has been and continues to be the 1990s classic Batman: The Animated Series. Throughout the run of this animated show, Kevin Conroy’s Bruce Wayne/Batman encountered the entire catalog of Batman villains and even introduced some new villains onto the scene that have continued to this day.
Of course, all good things must come to an end, and so it was with The Animated Series, not, however, without a spinoff or two! Another extremely popular offering took fans into the Gotham of the future. In Batman Beyond, Bruce Wayne (Conroy) was an old man still endeavoring to fight crime with the assistance of a modified suit. After almost breaking his one rule, Wayne (Conroy) retires, and hangs up the cowl, only to begrudgingly pass the mantle on to Terry McGinnis (Will Friedle).
This original new take introduced audiences to some fantastic new villains, along with some familiar faces in the future of Gotham City, replete with futuristic technology, flying cars, and the whole nine yards. What has come as a surprise to many fans is that with all the live-action interpretations and full-length movies about the Caped Crusader, why has DC not adapted Batman Beyond into something in the modern era?
Despite a Michael Keaton-led Batman Beyond film being swept off the table, new information suggests that an animated feature might not be outside the realm of possibility! The Direct recently reported on an interview Jeff Sneider did with The Hot Mic. According to Sneider, Warner Bros. had commissioned the development of a Batman Beyond film in answer to Marvel and Sony’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018). This, of course, would have been under former DC Studios head Walter Hamada.
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What is more interesting, however, is that, according to Sneider, the film is still listed as in development at the studio, even under James Gunn and Peter Safran. Though it may or may not happen, Gunn’s announcement of DC Elseworlds would make something like a Batman Beyond film very possible. With as popular as the animated series was, it would be a smart move for the studio to pursue something like that, even as an animation!
Do you think they should make a Batman Beyond movie? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments below!