DC Reportedly Prepping Animated 'Batman Beyond' Movie to Be Its 'Into the Spider-Verse'

By Mike Redmond | Film | January 31, 2019 |

If this latest rumor is to be believed, things are moving fast at the DCEU again, only this time it’s not the announcement of 47 Joker movies, so thank f*cking god.

Hot on the heels of Ben Affleck putting a crucial nail in the coffin of Zack Snyder’s Funeralverse comes word that Warner Bros. is finally going to make a Batman Beyond movie happen. But if you’re hoping for a live-action film starring Michael Keaton as a grizzled, old Batman training his replacement in a cyberpunk future, maybe don’t hold your breath.

Geeks World Wide reports:

After concept art of an unknown animated Batman movie was posted on r/DCEULeaks, The GWW did some digging and learned that the Warner Animation Group is working on an animated Batman Beyond movie that will be receiving a theatrical release. Sources tell us that this is DC’s response to Sony’s incredibly successful animated movie ‘Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse’. They’re currently targeting a 2022 release but that is not set in stone. A cast and crew have not been announced. SuperBroMovies writer Daniel Ritchman also showed us a slate of when WAG movies will go into production, with a DC one in 2020. It’s likely that this is the 2020 project.

Granted, all of this could be nothing more than speculation, but original Batman Beyond star Will Friedle tweeted GWW’s report, and he still has very current ties to Warner Animation Group as both an actor and writer on Teen Titans Go!. If anything is happening on the Batman Beyond front, he’d be in a position to catch wind of it.

So right off the bat, going after Into the Spider-Verse is a pretty lofty goal that is almost definitely going to generate eye rolls from everyone who lost their freaking minds over that film. And again, the best way forward for the DCEU is to just ignore Marvel and do its own thing. There’s just one catch though:

Animation is entirely DC’s thing.

While Zack Snyder’s grim-dark, murder-prom of a universe farted out in theaters, comment sections were filled with DC fans wondering why the hell Warner Bros. wasn’t letting its animation unit loose on the live-action DCEU. Which is a very good question, because Warner Animation Group is f*cking good. Just look at this awesome shit:

Batman: The Animated Series

Tiny Toons

The Animaniacs

Batman Beyond

Superman: The Animated Series

Justice League

The Iron Giant

YOUNG GODDAMN JUSTICE

The LEGO Movie

Teen Titans Go!

A bunch of other stuff I’m probably forgetting.

Hell, I watched Small Foot just the other day. It was great! That said, I totally get anyone who’s bummed that we’re not getting a live-action Batman Beyond, which could’ve feasibly starred Kevin Conroy as Elderly Batman, and now I want it even more.

But if we’re getting a movie from one of the best animation houses in the goddamn business, I’ll take it after living in a bleak landscape of morose assholes trying to murder each other in the face. Pop it right here in the ol’ veins.

Mike is a Staff Contributor living in Pennsyltucky. You can follow him on Twitter.

Header Image Source: Warner Bros.