Credit: DC / Warner Bros.After the merger of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) last year, significant restructuring occurred within the company. This led to the exit of Walter Hamada, the former head of WB’s DC film division, who James Gunn succeeded. James Gunn, known for directing the Guardians of the Galaxy series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) under The Walt Disney Company, as well as The Suicide Squad (2021) — distinct from the 2016 Suicide Squad featuring Jared Leto as the Joker — stepped into the role as Hamada’s replacement.
Related: Report: DC Gets Rid Of “Snyderverse”, ‘Justice League’ for Good
In the latest phase of the DC Universe (DCU), titled “Chapter One – Gods and Monsters,” James Gunn and his newly formed DC Studios are gearing up for a significant transformation of the former DCEU, aiming to start fresh. The most substantial information currently available pertains to the DCU’s inaugural film, Superman: Legacy based on the DC Comics of the same name, and essentially rebooting Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel and Justice League continuity.
Now, Sony’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse directors have begun sharing exciting new concept art of a new Batman project pitched to Warner Bros.’ DC Studios.
How Will Batman Appear in the DCU?
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice by director Zack Snyder brought Ben Affleck as Batman/Bruce Wayne into the DCEU mix. Gunn’s DCU, however, will bring a whole new Batman story to the DC film continuity with a new movie called The Brave and the Bold. Rumors already abound about the possibility of the new film killing off Bruce Wayne as Batman, instead having one of his wards and former Robins taking on the Batsuit and mantle as Gotham’s Dark Knight, alongside Bruce Wayne’s biological son Damian Wayne as the new Robin.
Related: DC’s Choice of Robin for Upcoming ‘Batman’ Reboot Questioned by Fans
However, this will not be the DCU’s only Batman story — as director Matt Reeves The Batman universe starring Robert Pattinson as the titular Batman/Bruce Wayne and Joaquin Phoenix-led Joker (and upcoming Joker: Folie à Deux) universes all will exist under the DC Elseworlds banner. Clearly, DC is interested in expanding this Elseworlds slate, as a potential third Batman project could be in the works.
A Brand-New Batman: Beyond
Recently, promising new concept art of a Batman Beyond animated film by Across the Spider-Verse directors Patrick Harpin and PD Yuhki Demers has surfaced.
This proposal seeks to revive the 1999-2000 animated television series Batman Beyond, set in a future Gotham City. The show follows teenager Terry McGinnis, who takes on the mantle of Batman under the guidance of an elderly and retired Bruce Wayne. The series explores themes of legacy, technology, and the evolving nature of heroism in this futuristic Gotham.
Here, a younger Terry McGinnis would be essentially replacing Bruce Wayne as Batman in the DCU, as the concept art shows a much cleaner, more agile-looking Batman in a totally different Batsuit to Bruce Wayne’s more black, gray, yellow, and dark blue color scheme.
The Spider-Verse directors also excitedly share (via Discussing Film) that this “never” from DC turned into a “maybe” following their pitch:
Concept art from a pitched ‘BATMAN BEYOND’ animated film — by director Patrick Harpin and PD Yuhki Demers (‘Across the Spider-Verse’).
“Before we pitched, they warned us ‘there is absolutely no way we can do a Beyond movie’, but they loved our enthusiasm. We pitched the outline for the entire film, and what started as a ‘never’ turned into a ‘maybe’.
Concept art from a pitched ‘BATMAN BEYOND’ animated film — by director Patrick Harpin and PD Yuhki Demers (‘Across the Spider-Verse’).
“Before we pitched, they warned us ‘there is absolutely no way we can do a Beyond movie’, but they loved our enthusiasm. We pitched the outline… pic.twitter.com/39ma1Z4oZp
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) February 20, 2024
Batman Beyond originally served as a continuation of the classic series The New Batman Adventures, which itself continued the much-beloved Batman: The Animated Series/The Adventures of Batman & Robin, developed by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Alan Burnett.
This would seemingly be a standalone project, likely set in the DCU’s Elseworlds alongside Matt Reeves and Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne. Considering that James Gunn is keen on expanding the scope of the DC Universe to include animation, this “maybe” might actually be more of a “more likely than not”.
Would you watch Batman Beyond by the directors of Across the Spider-Verse? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!