5 Reasons the DCU Should Release a Batman Beyond Movie
The DC Universe has undergone a significant change with James Gunn and Peter Safran leading the way. This new era brings with it a fresh wave of excitement and opportunities. While the previous DCEU had some successes, it was not without its problems. One project that never made it to the big screen was the beloved cartoon classic, Batman Beyond. Despite its popularity, creativity, and financial potential, previous plans for a live-action adaptation failed to materialize. However, the new DCU at Warner Bros. promises to restart the cinematic DC playbook with great attention, vision, and care, making it the perfect time for Batman Beyond to finally make its debut.
Here are five reasons why it’s time for Batman Beyond to take flight in this next era of the DCU:
1. A Unique Take on the Character: While previous cinematic versions of Batman have focused on Bruce Wayne, Batman Beyond offers a refreshing change. Terry McGinnis can act as the central hero, with Bruce Wayne taking on a mentor role and passing the torch to a new successor. This angle gives The Dark Knight a fresh perspective and a new lease on life.
2. A Cool and Different Setting: Rather than the dark and gritty Gotham city, Batman Beyond takes place in a futuristic version of the city, Neo Gotham. This sleek, stylish, cyberpunk variation of the metropolis offers a cool new vision for Batman, which, if brought to life on the big screen with exceptional cinematography, could be a visual treat for fans and audiences alike.
3. A Cyberpunk Environment Allows for Interesting Storytelling: This world’s futuristic setting with newly innovated technology provides exciting thematic angles and subjects to explore that wouldn’t be possible in other Batman stories. Batman Beyond’s unique villains dabbled in technology, touching on issues that arise from the integration of such technology into society. A live-action film would give audiences new villains and plots that revolve around popular, thought-provoking sci-fi concepts that haven’t been seen or used in a Batman film before.
4. A Futuristic Placement Provides a Larger Canvas to do More With: By having a Batman story take place in the future, it allows for the freedom to come up with new technology and gadgets for the caped crusader, the Batmobile, and the Batwing. The cyberpunk atmosphere can also allow for new, cool, and stylish action scenes with using newly invented technology that present-day Batman might not be able to pull off.
5. The Take on the Character Can Allow for it to Smoothly Exist With Other Versions in the DCU: With an expansive and ambitious universe that should span more than a decade on screen, there are bound to be many different films and shows not only revolving around multiple characters but different versions of the same character. By introducing Terry’s Batman into the plan, it would be easier (and less awkward) to have multiple universes riding parallel to each other that have the same character. Not to mention, it would give the opportunity to bring back an actor for Bruce Wayne (perhaps Keaton again!) to fill in that nostalgic sweet spot and have his existence be an organic part of the story.
In conclusion, Batman Beyond offers a unique perspective on the character that could bring fresh ideas and storytelling to the DCU. With the futuristic setting, cyberpunk environment, and the opportunity to exist alongside other versions of the same character, it’s time for Batman Beyond to take flight and become part of the visionary storytelling at the heart of the new DCU.
The new DCU headed by James Gunn and Peter Safran is just starting to lay down it’s foundation, and with that, comes an entirely new (and perhaps bigger) pool of excitement and opportunity to arise. The previous phase, known as the DCEU, has had its troubles, albeit with some measure of success and ambition. But the one project that never managed to get off the ground in any previous phase, is an adaptation of the beloved cartoon classic Batman Beyond. It was surely strange as to why it never happened. The show was popular, original, creative, and based on the primary DC character that would single-handedly guarantee financial success.
Though, there were plans at various times to make a live action adaptation, such as an attempt with filmmaker Boaz Yakin, none of them ever materialized. The character of Batman kept finding new life over the years in iconic iterations, such as Christian Bale in the legendary Christopher Nolan trilogy… but the cool, stylish, unique world of Batman Beyondand itss caped crusader, Terry McGinnis, sadly hasn’t even had it’s first yet.
But the new DCU unfolding at Warner Bros. now is supposedly restarting the cinematic DC playbook with great attention, vision, and care – and thus – is ripe for incredible, original, and innovative new storytelling. So here are five major reasons why it may finally be time for Batman Beyond to make the leap to the big screen in this next era of the DCU and be part of that visionary storytelling.
It’s a Unique Take on the Character
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All the cinematic versions of Batman, so far, have been the same character of Bruce Wayne. It’s obvious as to why, since he pretty much solely inhabits Batman, unlike, say, the quite diverse set of different Robins that exist. Not that there seems to be a “Bruce Wayne” fatigue among moviegoers or anything (or maybe there is?) but Terry McGinnis can be a nice change of refreshment that audiences may appreciate after seeing the same character as Batman (and with the same origin) in so many films already. Besides, Bruce Wayne is still a part of the story.
But it would be fascinating to finally introduce an angle where he takes on a mentor role and passes the torch on to a new successor who acts as the central hero. It’s an opportunity to do something truly different with The Dark Knight after all this time.
The Setting Is Cool and Different for the Batman Universe
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Instead of the always dark and gritty Gotham city that’s an essential part of any Batman story, the show introduced a futuristic version of the city, dubbed Neo Gotham. A sleek, stylish, cyberpunk variation of the noir metropolis. It made for a cool new vision, which, if brought live-action to the big screen with exceptional cinematography, could be one hell of a visual treat for fans and audiences.
A sci-fi version of Gotham with Blade Runner vibes and cool new technology, but still having that dark noir element, and with a brand-new Batman flying among the futuristic setting – who wouldn’t want to check that out!
The Cyberpunk Environment Can Allow for Interesting Concepts in the Storytelling
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The fact that this world is set in the future with newly innovated technology provides exciting thematic angles and subjects to explore that wouldn’t be possible in other Batman stories. Virtual Reality, Trans-HumanismGene Splicing, and other freaky cyberpunk concepts were a unique part of the show, creating interesting villains that dabbled in technology other villains could not, touching on issues that arise from the integration of such technology into society, and of course, giving Batman new types of dilemmas and battles to fight.
A Batman Beyond live action film would give audiences new villains and plots that revolve around popular, thought-provoking sci-fi concepts that haven’t been seen or used in a Batman film before.
The Futuristic Placement Provides a Larger Canvas to do More With
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The Batman films that have been made so far have all taken place in present day. And with that, comes the limit of sticking to modern conceptualizations with the plots and action. But by having a Batman story take place in the future, it bars those limitations and gives the freedom to come up with things not yet invented. The makers of the film can think up crazy new technology and gadgets for the caped crusader, for the Batmobile, for the Batwing, for pretty much everything! Imagine a Batmobile that can fly across Gotham’s roads without the threat of hitting something or someone?
And the cyberpunk atmosphere can also allow for new, cool, and stylish action scenes with using newly invented technology that present-day Batman might not be able to pull off. And as far as being a detective, living in a highly digital age where cyber communication pretty much flips the old ways upside down… just imagine all the exciting possibilities and directions that can be allowed with this Batman’s world.
The Take on the Character Can Allow for it to Smoothly Exist With Other Versions in the DCU
James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DCU is said to be playing the long game, with an expansive and ambitious universe that should span more than a decade on screen, complete with chapters and saga’s akin to the model the MCU developed all these years. With such a canvas, there are bound to be many different films and shows not only revolving around multiple characters but different versions of the same character… for example, continuing with the Matt Reeves Batman universe and introducing a brand-new Batman yet again with the recently announced “The Brave and the Bold” adaptation. And then having the Joker sequel Madness for two releasing next year with Joaquin Phoenix but having already introduced another Joker in Matt Reeves’ world with Barry Koeghan.
So with having multiple universes riding parallel to each other that have the same character, it would be easier (and less awkward) to introduce Terry’s Batman into the plan, rather than another Bruce Wayne, since his story and world is already quite a departure from the others and will still bring something fresh to the table, even alongside the already existing and planned adaptations. Not to mention, it would give the opportunity to bring back an actor for Bruce Wayne (perhaps Keaton again!) to fill in that nostalgic sweet spot and have his existence be an organic part of the story, rather than try to shoehorn his appearance into one of the other planned films on the roster.
