Batman Beyond with Michael Keaton

[thecolorsblend]

Good post, SN. But I'm not seeing a clear arc for Terry.

If the objective is to put a bow around Keaton's take on Bruce Wayne then I think your idea should be greenlit yesterday.

But if the idea is to do the Batman Beyond concept and Terry character justice, then one movie is probably not enough to get the job done. Terry needs a story that establishes his character, his origin and his motivations. The animated series obviously used the murder of his father on the orders of Derek Powers, who went on the become Blight.

And frankly, I don't see any need to reinvent the wheel there. A feature length adaptation of the 'Rebirth' episodes would be a piece of cake. And that origin movie for Terry could also be used to set up SN's Return Of The Joker concept. That way, Terry gets an arc for himself and the Joker film isn't burdened with too much exposition.

I see it as a good balance, honestly.

[The Dark Knight]

I am not against picking and choosing continuity, however it seems definite that The Flash officially separates the Burton and Schumacher timelines. If Keaton didn't come back I wouldn't have a problem keeping the Kilmer/Clooney thematic continuation. I mean, it's there regardless of how one felt about the matter. But the fact Keaton is back changes things for me.

I want his timeline to be clean - consisting of just what he himself appeared in. The B89 comic wasn't the best, but that doesn't change my feelings on the matter. The general plot beats of that story I'm okay with. He had a Robin, Dent became Two Face and Selina reappeared...and outside of that nothing needs to be expanded upon in detail.

[The Joker]

This is a fun video.

Course, now it's unlikely a Keaton Batman Beyond trilogy will ever happen, but I think I would've been very OK with these ideas.

[Silver Nemesis]

This is a fun video.

Course, now it's unlikely a Keaton Batman Beyond trilogy will ever happen, but I think I would've been very OK with these ideas.

That outline for a Batman Beyond trilogy is so good, it's actually kind of painful to contemplate. I doubt the Christina Hodson-scripted BB movie would have been that good, but this video shows that other fans are clearly thinking along the same lines as us. If only the studio was too.

The AI-generated image of the Keaton clone is eerily evocative of a young Keaton, and yet strangely unlike him at the same time. It almost looks like a cross between Keaton and Paul Rudd. Very uncanny valley.

This guy ^, with the same strength, skills, intelligence and weaponry as Bat-Keaton but the mental stability of Patrick Bateman, would make a terrifying villain.

Back in 2019 the prospect of a Batman Beyond movie with Keaton seemed like an impossible dream.

In 2021 it seemed like a highly plausible possibility.

In 2023 it seems like a highly unlikely pipedream that's destined to be a missed opportunity.

But at least we have James Gunn's Creature Commandoes and Amanda Waller TV shows to look forward to...

[The Joker]

That outline for a Batman Beyond trilogy is so good, it's actually kind of painful to contemplate. I doubt the Christina Hodson-scripted BB movie would have been that good, but this video shows that other fans are clearly thinking along the same lines as us. If only the studio was too.

Indeed. Christina Hodson's script possibly would have attempted to squeeze too much into one singular film, causing it to be overstuffed. Or maybe it was proving to be a pretty decent script before she was told to stop? I would love to know more of the particulars on what she was going for, but the video's outline for a "Batman Beyond" trilogy, and to which more satisfyingly concludes Keaton's Batman arc (with the Burtonverse possibly continuing Beyond), is pretty good!

The AI-generated image of the Keaton clone is eerily evocative of a young Keaton, and yet strangely unlike him at the same time. It almost looks like a cross between Keaton and Paul Rudd. Very uncanny valley.

This guy ^, with the same strength, skills, intelligence and weaponry as Bat-Keaton but the mental stability of Patrick Bateman, would make a terrifying villain.

Good catch!

Yeah, it's a very intriguing concept. Especially the idea of Terry, then later, Terry and a older BatKeats, taking on a malevolent younger Keaton Batman clone that looks like he stepped right out of 1989, would have been a captivating visual spectacle for sure.

I can also easily envision this younger clone of Keaton's Batman going rogue against a Burtonverse Amanda Waller (similar to Simon Phoenix in the prophetic "Demolition Man"), where Waller was certain she had a 'secret advantage' in the event BatCloneKeats ever got out of hand, only to find out after the fact that BatCloneKeats had already quietly figured out a workaround just before her impending doom.

"That was supposed to be 100% fail-safe!"

"Things change."

I'd also give BatCloneKeats a mental disorder that's clearly obvious as the film progresses. Perhaps at first, he comes across as more stoic and cerebral ("Desperate Measures"), but as the story unfolds, becoming more and more unhinged, and visibly sinister ("Pacific Heights"). Though nevertheless extremely clever, and one step ahead of the game in outfoxing Terry.     

Back in 2019 the prospect of a Batman Beyond movie with Keaton seemed like an impossible dream.

In 2021 it seemed like a highly plausible possibility.

In 2023 it seems like a highly unlikely pipedream that's destined to be a missed opportunity.

But at least we have James Gunn's Creature Commandoes and Amanda Waller TV shows to look forward to...

You said it.

[thecolorsblend]

That outline for a Batman Beyond trilogy is so good, it's actually kind of painful to contemplate. I doubt the Christina Hodson-scripted BB movie would have been that good, but this video shows that other fans are clearly thinking along the same lines as us. If only the studio was too.

The part that's infuriating is the Keaton/BB concept sort of writes itself in some ways. It's such an obvious direction to go in. Plus, the fans would eat it up with a spoon.

It's a little mind-blowing to think that apparently nobody at WBD can see the potential here.

[eledoremassis02]

I think the problem that it's in the writting (let alone who would play Terry). This is what Paul Dini had to say when he was ask to pen a story

"Alan [Burnett] and I actually worked on a Batman Beyond live-action feature. We worked with Boaz Yakin ... Boaz was talking to the folks at Warners about some projects, and he'd just directed Remember the Titans, which was a really good sports story, football story. One of the ideas that he liked was Batman Beyond ... but he really wanted to work on it with Alan and myself. So we had a number of meetings, and we actually all worked on a draft together."

"It was fine...it wasn't like [Return of the Joker]. It was set in Gotham future, but it didn't quite have the fantastic, futuristic edge. It was sort of like an amalgam, there was a little bit of Dark Knight, there was a little bit of contemporary comics, and there was Terry and the suit and everything. It was Old Bruce Wayne. So they were in it, but it was just a little bit...I dunno, for whatever reason, this was a more successful film. The first draft went in and needed some work, then basically everybody decided it was better, rather than spend a lot of time on this, let's just table it."

https://thedynamicbuzz.wordpress.com/2015/06/02/paul-dini-on-the-batman-beyond-live-action-movie-that-was-never-made/

Beyond holds alot of love and that carries on alot of baggage. I dont think right now is the time for it sadly. Keatons return in the Flash didnt do much and too many people are mad at WB that I don't see people finding a reason to support the movie.

Not to mention, if Paul Dini can't feel it out (and made changes to the material he helped create to adapt it better for live action), I see that as a warning on how bad this movie could go. It sounds like it wasnt really a Beyond film it just had Beyond characters.

But I guerentee when if it does get greenlit, people will find a way to tear it apart from announcement to opening day. Seems to be the fasion with anything Batman these days.

 

[The Laughing Fish]

The part that's infuriating is the Keaton/BB concept sort of writes itself in some ways. It's such an obvious direction to go in. Plus, the fans would eat it up with a spoon.

It's a little mind-blowing to think that apparently nobody at WBD can see the potential here.

There were a couple of execs at WBD that must've known about a Keaton/BB potential, seeing as Keaton still filmed a cameo in the second reshot ending for The Flash that got discarded for Clooney.  We can only thank you-know-who and his hatred for B89 for killing off that potential, among all the other DC stuff core fans wanted.

Speaking of you-know-who, it was announced today he's writing a second season of Peacemaker. Just what DC fans needed, no more Keaton but more idiotic gags of some douchebag saying Superman has a fecal matter fetish and telling Aquaman to go have sex with fish.

Just another rude wake-up call to anybody who expected this supposed DCU reboot was going to be legit.

[The Dark Knight]

But I guerentee when if it does get greenlit, people will find a way to tear it apart from announcement to opening day. Seems to be the fasion with anything Batman these days.

Batman is in a strange place currently. A year or two ago we had ZSJL, The Flash, the B89 comic and The Batman to look forward to. These are projects that either led nowhere and/or received a mixed response. Things have essentially now been slimmed down to what Reeves is doing, with a Gunn reboot lurking in the background which has question marks all over it. Batman is a popular character but brand recognition can't be taken for granted, and for the first time in a while there's an element of pressure and doubt. The Flash underperformed and there's frustration in the fanbase. I think it's showing how important a singular focus is, while still enjoying content that has been and gone.