The idea of a live-action Batman Beyond movie has been floating around the Warner Bros. offices for over two decades, when it was first mooted as a drastic reinvention of the franchise to try and distance the Caped Crusader’s next big screen adventure as far away as possible from Joel Schumacher’s disastrous Batman & Robin.
The project may have failed to make it out of development hell, but it certainly feels as though we’re currently a lot closer to seeing it happen than we’ve ever been. Even before Michael Keaton was announced to be returning as Bruce Wayne in The Flash, we’d heard that Tim Burton’s Dark Knight was being eyed for a potential Batman Beyond adaptation, and those rumors have only intensified since.
After all, Keaton is going to be 71 years old by the time the Scarlet Speedster’s solo debut hits theaters in November 2022, so it isn’t like he’ll be whipping himself into superhero shape and diving headfirst into the extensive stunt work and fight choreography that’s reportedly proving to be difficult for Robert Pattinson, an actor 35 years his junior.
Now, a new fan poster from BossLogic imagines the Spider-Man: Homecoming star stepping into the role of Terry McGinnis’ grizzled mentor in Batman Beyond, which you can see below.
DC Films president Walter Hamada confirmed that the plan is to have two Batman franchises, one with Pattinson in the lead and another operating as part of DCEU canon. Most people expected Ben Affleck to headline the latter, but new reports have indicated that Keaton will inhabit the role, which seems like the perfect opportunity to finally give fans Batman Beyond, with a younger star bringing McGinnis to life.