First sign of the next film?

[Bobthegoon89]

Interesting article you might like to read:

http://www.policymic.com/articles/24182/dark-knight-rises-sequel-could-be-a-futuristic-rendition-of-batman-beyond

I have to say I despise Batman Beyond (or Batman of the Future as it's named here in the UK). Never liked seeing another Batman with Bruce Wayne merely as a supporting star or even cameo role. Let alone a teenage Batman. This show to me is basically "Kid Batman" (ala Kid Flash). And I thought the villains kind of sucked too. Did they ever use classic Bat villains, ever? The only time I was impressed was the "Return of the Joker" movie which had some ties to the original animated series. Annoyingly Batman The Animated Series hasn't been shown on British tv in over 10 years. Sky 1 last broadcast it on weekday mornings at 8am back in 2002. Since then it's vanished and without the dvd's I probably wouldn't see it. Batman Beyond however is constantly shown and boy is it irritating.

I don't think this idea will go anywhere personally. However thinking it over I found myself deciding that it could make an interesting movie. For one thing it would give us back a fantastic looking Gotham City albeit a futuristic kind. On the other hand I'd never want a series of films on the subject. But doing just a one off is something I think I'd get into for it's difference. Could this be a key for bringing back a fantastic comic booky style for Batman movies? I don't think I could handle Bruce Wayne on a zimmer frame for a whole trilogy though.

[BatmAngelus]

I wouldn't put too much stock into this as an indication of the next movie.  It's exactly what Uslan said at Comikaze 2012 back in the fall:
http://www.batman-online.com/features/2012/9/17/comikaze-report-michael-uslan-the-boy-who-loved-batman

Uslan went on to address that he also relates to fanboy fantasies of different Batman films.  Using Batman Beyond as an example, he called the animated series "a great, great premise of character" and said, "As a fanboy only, not as a producer connected to the movies, sometimes I wonder, 'Man, what would it be like to see Bruce Wayne in his eighties played by Clint Eastwood?' "  Commenting also on The Dark Knight Returns, Uslan, again clarifying his thoughts to be "as a fanboy and not as a producer," shared that he's also realized, "Oh my God.  Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson are now exactly the right age for The Dark Knight Returns."

[DocLathropBrown]

If only...

I love Batman Beyond, because it's a perfect passing of the torch. Terry is suitably serious about his work. He's trying to balance the teenage life thing, but that doesn't mean he takes his work as Batman any less seriously. And Bruce still being involved is great. But I think Terry stands well enough on his own that if there were to be stories set after Bruce died, I'd still be into it.

Timm and company making BB is the only reason it worked so well. In lesser hands, Terry would have become Batman of his own volition and it would have been a blatent teenage stereotype. Or it would have been a young Bruce being Batman ahead of time.

Thank God for Timm and company!

[Silver Nemesis]

I wouldn't mind seeing a Batman Beyond movie. In fact I'd be a lot more enthusiastic about that than an adaptation of The Dark Knight Returns. So many elements of TDKR have already been referenced in the movies – especially in The Dark Knight Rises – that I really don't think there's much point adapting it now. Between Nolan's trilogy and the two animated films, we've already seen enough of that story. Batman Beyond, on the other hand, has been neglected in recent years. There's a lot of potential there.

I'd like to see Adam West portray the ageing Bruce Wayne, with Terry McGinnis' costume resembling the Lincoln Futura-inspired Batman armour from the Justice (2005-2007) maxiseries.

The shiny black and red aesthetic could extend to all his gadgets too, with his flying Batmobile looking like an updated version of the one from the sixties TV show.

Gotham could look like it did in the original series; basically a more futuristic version of the Gotham from Batman Returns.

Visually, a Batman Beyond movie could deliver something we haven't seen before in a live action Batman film. I doubt they'll really take the franchise in that direction, but I'd support the project if they did.

[Bobthegoon89]

I wouldn't mind seeing a Batman Beyond movie. In fact I'd be a lot more enthusiastic about that than an adaptation of The Dark Knight Returns. So many elements of TDKR have already been referenced in the movies – especially in The Dark Knight Rises – that I really don't think there's much point adapting it now. Between Nolan's trilogy and the two animated films, we've already seen enough of that story. Batman Beyond, on the other hand, has been neglected in recent years. There's a lot of potential there.

I'd like to see Adam West portray the ageing Bruce Wayne, with Terry McGinnis' costume resembling the Lincoln Futura-inspired Batman armour from the Justice (2005-2007) maxiseries.

The shiny black and red aesthetic could extend to all his gadgets too, with his flying Batmobile looking like an updated version of the one from the sixties TV show.

Gotham could look like it did in the original series; basically a more futuristic version of the Gotham from Batman Returns.

Visually, a Batman Beyond movie could deliver something we haven't seen before in a live action Batman film. I doubt they'll really take the franchise in that direction, but I'd support the project if they did.

I really liked your idea of an updated Adam West Batmobile lol And given it's recent auction it's back in the headlines again. Seems an appropriate time to homage it's image. Just hope they still give it an anti-theft device lol

I agree totally about The Dark Knight Returns. I think the animated movie is a good enough adaptation. To tell you the truth I get so sick of hearing about that graphic novel (and Batman Year One, Killing Joke, Arkham Asylum e.c.t). The way their constantly reported you'd be forgiven for thinking that they were the only decent Batman stories and that no others ever existed. They've all been covered to death. For me it seems a lot of Batman writers just try copying Frank Miller's style rather than just giving me their own takes and it gets kinda dull. Isn't it time we move Batman forward from the "Miller time" and try doing something as groundbreaking and new as that one in 1986 was? I had a discussion recently with a guy on here in relation to the Superman movies and how they should move on and forget Christopher Reeve's. Why I agree with "moving on" into something new I disagree with "forgetting" former greatness. But this same attitude I personally have for the Miller Batman era. Why can't it break away from his Dark Knight ideas without simply ignoring them for good? It just seems to me Frank Miller has taken over Batman so much you'd think he created the character.

[thecolorsblend]

To tell you the truth I get so sick of hearing about that graphic novel (and Batman Year One, Killing Joke, Arkham Asylum e.c.t). The way their constantly reported you'd be forgiven for thinking that they were the only decent Batman stories and that no others ever existed. They've all been covered to death.

Sign of the times, I guess. We live in a trade paperback world now. Those stories have been on bookshelves for so many years now that tastemakers and critics are familiar with only those comic books "graphic novels". I'd go so far as to say that a shocking percentage of "comic book fans" would be hardpressed to name ten Batman stories, much less the ten best, ten worst, ten most unforgivable, ten most overrated, ten best drawn/worst drawn, etc.

This is by no means unique to Batman either. It's strange now to live in a world where comics have never been more visible and in everybody's face and at the same time so widely ignored even by their supposedly most ardent followers.

[The Dark Knight]

I wouldn't mind seeing a Batman Beyond movie. In fact I'd be a lot more enthusiastic about that than an adaptation of The Dark Knight Returns. So many elements of TDKR have already been referenced in the movies – especially in The Dark Knight Rises – that I really don't think there's much point adapting it now. Between Nolan's trilogy and the two animated films, we've already seen enough of that story. Batman Beyond, on the other hand, has been neglected in recent years. There's a lot of potential there.

I'd like to see Adam West portray the ageing Bruce Wayne, with Terry McGinnis' costume resembling the Lincoln Futura-inspired Batman armour from the Justice (2005-2007) maxiseries.

The shiny black and red aesthetic could extend to all his gadgets too, with his flying Batmobile looking like an updated version of the one from the sixties TV show.

Gotham could look like it did in the original series; basically a more futuristic version of the Gotham from Batman Returns.

Visually, a Batman Beyond movie could deliver something we haven't seen before in a live action Batman film. I doubt they'll really take the franchise in that direction, but I'd support the project if they did.

Very good post, Silver Nemesis. I enjoyed reading it. Good points. Strangely I had never made the Batman Beyond/60s Batmobile colour scheme connection on board until now.

[Azrael]

This BB idea has been mentioned by some people - Michael E. Uslan himself, BOF's Jett in an Op-ed in his site.. Don't know, Batman Beyond always felt like an idea for a great self-contained "What if" story (basically the ROTJ film), stretched for a couple of seasons with filler material because it was met with financial success.

[ElCuervoMuerto]

I think I'm one of the few people that would completely hate that idea. I never liked Batman Beyond (although I will admit some of the episodes where pretty good) for the same reason I have my reservations about TDKR, I despise the idea of Batman as a "legacy" character. Flash is a legacy character, so is Green Lantern, and hell Robin is too. But Batman? That's Bruce Wayne. In my perfect world, when Bruce quits or dies, that's it's. No more Batman.

Not to mention, if we where gonna see something like that post TDKR, I would think mainstream audiences would expect that to be Blake, not Terry. And I'm not interested in seeing that either.

[Silver Nemesis]

I'm glad other people in this thread can see what I was getting at about the Futura-aesthetic. A Batman Beyond movie with that kind of look would be amazing on the big screen.

There are basically two potential routes for the Batman film franchise that I'd like to see taken at this point. I've already outlined these in other threads, but here's a quick summary anyway:

1) BATMAN AND ROBIN

This would the first in an ongoing series of films seen from Dick Grayson's perspective. The middle aged Batman is already established, as are his enemies. But Robin is just starting out for the first time.

As far as casting for the villains goes, I'd love to see David Suchet play Oswald Cobblepot. Perhaps Jean-Claude Van Damme as Henri Ducard (the proper character from Blind Justice, not the Ra's decoy from Batman Begins).

I'd also like to see slightly more serious versions of the Riddler, Poison Ivy and Mr. Freeze, as well as a more fantasy-oriented version of Scarecrow. And I'd like to see some of the more obscure villains make an appearance, especially the spookier characters like Gentleman Ghost, Solomon Grundy, Dala and the Monk and Man-Bat.

2) BATMAN BEYOND

This would work best as a standalone film, perhaps to tide fans over while they're waiting for the next full-scale reboot.

In some ways Batman Beyond would make the perfect third entry in the Burton/Keaton trilogy. The story begins with the Joker already dead so there wouldn't be any conflict with the events of Batman 89. The only problem is that Burton and Keaton would never want to make it. I doubt either of them would ever want to return to the franchise now.

Adam West, on the other hand, has said on several occasions that he'd like to play the aging Bruce Wayne as a mentor to a new younger Batman. He's up for the part and he's the right age to play it. I say give him one last shot playing the Dark Knight in live action. After all, he's played Batman more times than almost anyone else:

•   Batman (1966-68)
•   Batman: The Movie (1966)
•   Batgirl (1967)
•   The New Adventures of Batman (1977)
•   The Legends of the Superheroes (1979)
•   SuperFriends: The Legendary Super Powers Show (1984)
•   The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians (1985)
•   Batman: New Times (2005)

The only other actor to have displayed the same enduring commitment to the character is Kevin Conroy, and he'd be my other top choice for the role.


I know Warner Bros will end up doing something completely unlike either of these ideas. But if it was up to me, the future of the Batman films would lie in one of those two directions.