Batman Beyond was a genius idea. It basically asks, what if Batman was Spider-Man, but in the future?
If you’re not familiar with the concept, here it is in a nutshell. Age has finally gotten the better of Batman and he’s hung up the cape and resorted to a lonely existence in his mansion. One day, high-schooler Terry McGinnis stumbles into the Batcave and steals a prototype Batsuit, quickly becoming the Batman of the future with an elderly Bruce Wayne as his mentor.
Somehow, Bruce only manages to become cooler as an old guy with a cane (and he can still kick ass when he needs to). That’s why, when fans get together and discuss their fantasy casting for a live-action Batman Beyond, there’s one name that always comes up: Michael Keaton. Obviously, he has the Batman pedigree and, much like old Bruce Wayne, seems to also have become cooler with age.
And now, to give us an idea of what he might look like in the role, we have an epic piece of fan art by BossLogic:
Given the current state of The Batman and Warner Bros.’ willingness to do more experimental takes on the franchise, a live-action Batman Beyond might not be outside the realms of possibility. After all, it’d neatly sidestep the problem of trying to fit it into existing continuity, give a great opportunity to a hot young actor in the lead role and potentially, launch a ‘DC future’ universe of its own.
If they did adapt Batman Beyond, I’d absolutely love them to tackle the Return of the Joker movie. It’s in my top 5 Batman films and if you haven’t seen it yet, track down the uncut version and be surprised at the disturbing things that Warner Bros. was willing to do with the franchise in what’s technically a kid’s movie. Seriously, you won’t be disappointed.