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.
