James Gunn’s DCU is already giving us a new Batman movie, in the form of The Brave and the Bold, but is it the Batman movie we need right now? Sure, it’s going to pair him off with his son, Damian, for the first on screen, but is another film about Bruce Wayne in the cowl the best way to go?
While Sony is expanding the Spider-Verse with Miles Morales, DC is still stuck in the past with its commitment to Brucey boy. So it’s no surprise that this truly breathtaking Batman Beyond cosplay is getting folks salivating all over again about the idea of a film adaptation of Terry McGinnis, the Batman of the future.
Superior Mike 3D has gone above and, um, beyond with his DC cosplay, perfectly translating Terry’s advanced-tech black and red outfit from the classic 1999 animated series into reality. The cosplayer even added a more Iron Man/Blue Beetle vibe to the look by switching Terry’s sleek suit for a more heavily armored appearance, in keeping with the costume’s look in Arkham Knight. And that’s exactly the sort of thing you’d imagine they would do in a real Batman Beyond movie.
Why hasn’t a Batman Beyond movie ever happened?
Of course, in other universes out there in the multiverse, we’ve already chowed down on not just one, but two Batman Beyond big-screen adaptations. In the wake of Batman & Robin, Warner Bros. fielded various attempts to revamp the Bat-brand before Batman Begins came along in 2005. One of those was a BB movie from screenwriter/director Boaz Yakin (Now You See Me), but this ultimately never got made when Yakin moved on to other projects.
Fast forward to the 2020s and WB was reportedly in secret development on a Batman Beyond flick for Michael Keaton’s Caped Crusader following his return in The Flash. After his second comeback in Batgirl was canned, however, and James Gunn’s new DCU era well and truly killed off the Keaton era 2.0 before it had even begun, we can rest assured that this second attempt to bring Beyond to life also died a death. Not schway, guys.
While Gunn’s Batman may be slightly older than the normal depiction, seeing as he’s already a father to a Damian who’s old enough to serve as Robin, he’s still a ways off being a crotchety old mentor to Terry in the cyberpunk realm of Neo-Gotham. Although maybe if we’re patient for another, ooh, 35 years, we might eventually see this Batman get to that stage. Basically, thank (granny) goodness for ingenious cosplayers like Superior Mike for keeping us well-fed in the meantime.