Fans are going wild over the hypothetical scenario of Sam Raimi directing a Batman movie after he expressed interest in a recent interview, with many comic book aficionados saying he would be the perfect person to helm a Batman Beyond adaption.
It seems like there’s a perfect combination of things falling into place for this to happen — now, more than ever before — due to Michael Keaton being set to reprise his role as Batman in two upcoming DC films, The Flash and Batgirl. Raimi, who is experiencing something of a career revival after the Spider-Man director was tapped to direct Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, has also long expressed a desire to make a Dark Knight movie.
“If I ever saw the Batsignal up in the air, I’d come running,” he said in a recent interview.
With the Matt Reeves-directed The Batman currently slaying it in theaters as the latest noir-infused reboot of the franchise, many fans pointed to Batman Beyond being a possible recipe for success, since it is set in the future and involves a completely re-worked premise than the mainline story.
The Bruce Timm-created animated series follows a younger hero, Terry McGinnis, who takes up the mantle of Batman from a retired and older Bruce Wayne. Rather than taking place in the modern day, the series, which ran on Kids’ WB from 1999-2001, takes place in the cyberpunk-inspired Neo-Gotham, a neon-soaked megalopolis with appropriately futuristic villains.
As many have pointed out, Keaton playing the retirement-age Bruce is already a winning formula for just such an adaption. Adding to that the massive talent of Raimi, who previously directed a Dark Knight-inspired cult favorite super hero film in 1990 called Darkman, and you have a seemingly unstoppable combination.
The premise is just different enough that many fans agreed a Batman Beyond film would feel new, even though there’s already a lot of Batman properties floating around out there.
Raimi was also eyed by one fan as being perhaps a suitable visionary for helming stories focused on the extended “Bat family,” such as focusing on Nightwing / Robin.
And speaking of DC — and Raimi’s penchant for crafting great movies starring red-and-blue clad super heroes — how about a new Superman film with The Evil Dead director at the wheel?
The Batman is in theaters now. Raimi’s Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness hits cinema screens May 6.
Published: Mar 14, 2022 12:53 pm