James Gunn possesses a monumental task on his hands to restore the fans’ trust in the DC Universe. However, a quick and unexpected win might have materialized out of thin air in terms of casting the next Batman.
As Gunn builds out the future of all things DC, everyone understands that a new Dark Knight actor is imminent. Let’s be honest, though: Hasn’t the world seen enough of Bruce Wayne sobbing over his parents’ death and channeling his rage into beating the snot out of Gotham City’s criminals for one lifetime? After all, Bruce isn’t the only person to have put on the cowl and dubbed himself Batman. There’s also a certain Terry McGinnis who is more than due his own live-action film at this point. The Batman Beyond animated series debuted over 25 years ago, but it still hasn’t received the big screen treatment to date.
Well, a few filmmakers grew tired of waiting around for DC and Warner Bros. to make up their minds and decided to create their own fan film titled Batman Beyond: Year One. Written and directed by Michael Yu, this 14-minute production more than exceeds expectations as Terry McGinnis suits up to fight the Royal Flush Gang before flying back across Neo-Gotham to make his date with Melanie Walker.
The best part? Ryan Potter from Big Hero Six fame plays Terry, while Isabelle Hahn, who was recently seen in V/H/S/99, appears as Melanie. Of course, this isn’t the first time that Potter played a DC hero, as he previously starred as Garfield Logan, aka Beast Boy, in four seasons of Titans. In addition to this, Potter once uploaded a video of himself in full combat mode in an attempt to get DC’s attention in case anyone was looking for an actor to play Tim Drake, aka Robin.
One thing’s for certain, though, Potter and Batman Beyond: Year One caught the eye of the fanbase, who almost can’t believe this is a fan film. Some said it looks comparable to The CW’s Arrowverse, with presumably a tenth of the budget, while others are calling for Gunn to take notice of what Yu and collaborators achieved and give them a chance at creating something formally for the brand. The casting of Potter as Terry has also gone down like a treat, with one X user writing: “Ryan Potter is such slam dunk casting for Batman Beyond.”
Bruce Wayne also appears in Batman Beyond: Year One, albeit off camera as he communicates remotely with Terry. The film doesn’t reveal who voices Bruce, but many fans suspect it’s Roger Craig Smith, who has most recently voiced the character in Batman: Arkham Shadow.
Whether a Batman Beyond live-action movie or television series ever happens is another story altogether. In the early 2000s, filmmaker Boaz Yakin was attached to the project and wanted to make an edgier and mature movie, even imagining Clint Eastwood in the role of the older Bruce Wayne; however, Warner Bros. and DC decided to do Batman Begins instead. More recently, there were rumors that DC passed on doing an animated film in the same vein as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Why? Who knows, no one understands that studio’s peculiar decision.
At the very least, though, Batman Beyond: Year One gives Gunn some food for thought. Not only does it put a few talented filmmakers on his radar, but it also demonstrates how Potter is the right person to bring Terry to life in any future project.