While we may never see Michael Keaton’s long-rumored Batman Beyond movie, DC Studios hasn’t given up on that property. In a new story from industry insider Jeff Sneider, there are rumblings that DC could still revisit Batman Beyond, but this time in a big-budget animated movie.
On The Hot Mic Podcast, Sneider recently spoke about a previously planned animated Batman Beyond. It was once commissioned under the leadership of Walter Hamada, but the twist in the story is the project could still be in development.
Even though DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran are now in charge, Sneider notes the project is still being worked on and has a writer attached. It was initially reported in 2019 that Fast & Furious 9 writer Daniel Casey was working on the script, and Sneider’s reporting implies Casey is still working on drafts.
“The following project was commissioned by Walter Hamada,” Sneider said. “It was, as far as I know, never reported. As of this minute, the project is in development at DC now. These guys could get called in next week or whatever. This is the project that I’ve heard has never been reported, and there are multiple drafts of it. Daniel Casey, the writer of Fast 9, wrote a Batman Beyond movie, but the catch wasn’t that it was live-action because that was what Christina Hodson was [working on]. [It was an] animated Batman Beyond, to be DC’s answer to Into the Spider-Verse.”
This Batman Beyond animated movie was being developed to face Sony’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. With the vibrant animation, youthful energy, and Academy Award win under its belt, any studio would like to capture a piece of the magic Into the Spider-Verse got. Given its cyberpunk vibes and thrilling source material, Batman Beyond could be a perfect conduit for that type of film.
Sadly, Sneider clarified in his reporting that development could still be paused or canceled at any time, especially if this doesn’t fit the overall vision that Gunn & Safran see for DC Studios. As mentioned, this is the second rumored Batman Beyond project. Birds of Prey writer Christina Hodson was attached, and we could’ve seen Michael Keaton playing an elder Bruce Wayne who would teach a young, brash Terry McGinnis.
Originally published March 3, 2023. Updated March 4, 2023.
