It’s been a good week for Bat-fans. Not only is Matt Reeves’ The Batman finally getting somewhere, but it was also reported that Warner Bros. is working on an animated movie based on the beloved Batman Beyond TV series. DC lovers have been waiting years for news like this as the future world of Terry McGinnis’ Batman is so ripe for a big screen adaptation. Unfortunately, though, it seems like we’ll have to wait a little longer to see Beyond in cinemas as apparently, those reports were false.
Industry insider Umberto Gonzalez took to Twitter to reveal that he’s contacted WB – several divisions of the studio, in fact – and has been categorically told that a Batman Beyond film is not happening. The exact response he got doesn’t leave a lot of room for doubt, either, as they told him: “Not true. We are not making an animated Batman Beyond movie.”
This is pretty disheartening to hear, as not only was this a project that would be awesome to see in general, but it really seemed like a Batman Beyond film’s time was now. Previous reports said that DC was developing it as a response to the success of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, another animated movie about the successor to a popular superhero. As such, it felt like studio execs had finally realized the potential of the property on their hands, but apparently, they still haven’t.
What made the rumors so believable was that leaked concept art from the film also made its way online, depicting a redesigned Terry and some suit displays in the Batcave. Still, any talented artist can post their work on Reddit and claim it as official movie art nowadays, so maybe that’s what happened here.
Ah well, that was fun while it lasted. Looks like it’s back to daydreaming about a Batman Beyond movie that brings back Michael Keaton as an older Bruce Wayne.
