Stunning Batman Beyond animated movie art shows what a Batman Spider-Verse film could look like

News
By
published

Please make it happen, Mr Gunn

A piece of concept art showing Batman flying through a neofuturistic Gotham City for a Batman Beyond animated movie pitch
Na na na na na na na na Batman Beyond animated movie now, please! (Image credit: Yuhki Demers/Patrick Harpin)

Have you ever wondered what a Batman movie, in the style of Sony's Spider-Verse films, would look like? You don't have to wonder anymore.

Yesterday (February 20), Yuhki Demers – a production designer and producer on the popular animated Spider-Man movies – revealed concept art for a Batman Beyond animated film that had been pitched to Warner Bros. And, I don't know about you, but the gorgeous images, which you can see in the X/Twitter post below, make me want to see this Batman flick as soon as possible.

For the uninitiated: Batman Beyond is an animated TV series, created by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Alan Burnett, that was incredibly popular in the early 2000s. Set in a neofuturistic Gotham City in 2019, it starred Terry McGinnis (voiced by Will Friedle) as a new iteration of the Caped Crusader; McGinnis being chosen by the retired and elderly Bruce Wayne (the late Kevin Conroy) to replace him as the city's protector-in-chief.

Unfortunately, it's unlikely to be made in the short term. As Demers noted, when he and Patrick Harpin pitched the idea to Warner Bros. five months ago, the entertainment behemoth told them there was "absolutely no way we can do a Beyond movie". However, after the pair had outlined the entire film's plot, and showed off its beautiful concept art, "what started out as a 'never' turned into a 'maybe'", Demers added. Don't give me hope, guys!

Hope, though, is exactly what Demers is trying to give himself, Harpin, and the rest of us. He suggested that the pair were slowly working their way up the Warner Bros. chain of command in a bid to seek an audience with James Gunn – you know, DC Studios' new co-head, who's charged with rebooting the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) into the DC Cinematic Universe (DCU), and turning the latter into a powerhouse akin to Marvel's cinematic juggernaut. Make it happen, James, I'm begging you.

Given Batman's universal popularity and, well, how absolutely stunning a Beyond animated film in the style of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse would be, fans of the Dark Knight are desperate to see it happen. Replies to Demers' revelation range from people asking if it would be a continuation of Beyond's beloved animated series to others demanding that it be greenlit immediately. If it wasn't obvious by now, I'm firmly in the latter camp.

Beyond the Spider-Verse

Robert Pattinson stars as the Dark Knight in The Batman film

Matt Reeves' The Batman is getting a sequel as a DCU Elseworlds title. (Image credit: Jonathan Olley/Warner Bros.)

As amazing as it would be to see an animated Batman Beyond film with the same visuals as the award-winning Spider-Verse flicks, I'd be surprised if it's ever made. Not because I don't think it wouldn't do well; I just think that Gunn and DC Studios co-head Peter Safran have got too much on their plate already.

Indeed, a quick glance at the lineup for DCU Chapter One reveals that there are five movies, including Superman: Legacy, and six TV shows – these series will debut on Max once they're ready to be released – in active development. That's... quite a lot of content to be pumping out between July 2025 (Legacy's theatrical launch date) and, well, whenever Chapter One, aka Gods and Monsters, is complete.

Throw the various DC Elseworlds projects into the equation, including The Batman Part II and Joker: Folie à Deux, and there are even more DC-adjacent productions set to arrive in the near future. Adding a Batman Beyond movie into the mix would only complicate things further – indeed, with Matt Reeves' second Batman flick set to begin filming soon, coupled with Gunn confirming that a DCU Batman film (The Brave and the Bold) will be part of Chapter One, the prospect of three different Batman movies being released around a similar timeframe would no doubt confuse audiences.

Miles Morales fires his webshooters in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

There are three different Spider-Man movie universes on the go, so why wouldn't three Batman ones work, too? (Image credit: Sony Pictures)

That said, we're already living in a world where there are three different Spider-Man film universes on the go (find out more in our Spider-Man movies in order guide). That includes Tom Holland's MCU-based webslinger, the aforementioned Spider-Verse movies, and... whatever garbage Sony continues to cook up for its Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Movies (SPUMM). After the abject box office performance of Madame Web, the first of 2024's new movies in the superhero space, maybe Sony should reflect on whether the last of those three shared universes is worth sticking with.

But that's a discussion for another day. Is a Batman Beyond animated movie worth making, especially if it retains the beautiful art design Demers showed off? Yes. Do I think it'll get made? Probably not. But would it give us more *ahem* super animated films to enjoy that *double ahem* go Beyond the Spider-Verse (ironically the title of Sony's third animated Spider-Man movie)? Absolutely. Make it happen, Gunn and Safran.

You might also like

Tom Power
Senior Entertainment Reporter

As TechRadar's senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You'll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.

An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Tom also writes reviews, analytical articles, opinion pieces, and interview-led features on the biggest franchises, actors, directors and other industry leaders. You may see his quotes pop up in the odd official Marvel Studios video, too, such as this Moon Knight TV spot.

Away from work, Tom can be found checking out the latest video games, immersing himself in his favorite sporting pastime of football, reading the many unread books on his shelf, staying fit at the gym, and petting every dog he comes across. Got a scoop, interesting story, or an intriguing angle on the latest news in entertainment? Feel free to drop him a line.