For better or for worse, the plans for the future of the DCU are changing dramatically with new leadership taking the reins. It was recently revealed that James Gunn and Peter Safran would be stepping up to serve as co-CEOs of DC Studios. There have already been a lot of major updates to recently come out of this change, such as the announcement that Patty Jenkin’s Wonder Woman 3 has been canceled. There are also rumors that Black Adam 2 won’t be moving forward as well, which may put a swift end to the return of Henry Cavill’s Superman just as quickly as he reappeared.
Gunn has since come out on Twitter and said that while some of the recent rumors are true, others are not, though he’s not clarifying exactly what’s what. Meanwhile, the rumor mill continues to churn out more bits of information concerning the future slate of the DCU. The latest rumored bombshell is that a solo Batman film starring Michael Keaton that had been secretly planned has now been nixed as well. According to film reporter Umberto Gonzalez, that movie, penned by The Flash writer Christina Hodson, would have been the long-awaited Batman Beyond film.
Officially, a Batman Beyond movie was never announced, but it’s long been clear that it’s something fans have been wanting. Even before it was announced that Keaton would reprise his role as Batman for The Flash and the canceled Batgirl, there had been many pushes from fans campaigning for a live-action Batman Beyond adaptation to be developed. The idea was that Keaton could return as an older Bruce Wayne to serve as a mentor for a new Batman, which was the plot of the original animated series version.
Batman Beyond: Will It Ever Get a Movie?
Warner Bros. Television
The animated series Batman Beyond featured the voice of late Batman actor Kevin Conroy, whose passing still stings for fans of the Dark Knight. Will Friedle also starred as the voice of Terry McGinnis, the young man who suits up as the new Batman under the tutelage of Bruce Wayne. It wasn’t so long ago when Friedle offered his support for a Batman Beyond movie to get made. After first expressing his desire to work with Conroy again on an animated series revival, which sadly never came to pass, Friedle said a live-action adaptation would be “great” to see.
“You know, seeing a live-action version would be great,” Friedle told ComicBookMovie.com in May. “Just seeing the character again is awesome. He’s had such a rich life in the comic book world and I think he deserves to come back on screen in some form. At some point in the future, I’m sure he will. Who knows, but I have to imagine they’ll eventually do a movie or another series.”
