Batman Beyond Movie Happening, Starring Timothée Chalamet
A new rumor suggests that a Batman Beyond movie could be on the way to HBO Max, starring Michael Keaton and Timothée Chalamet.
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When we first reported that Michael Keaton would be returning as Batman in The Flash movie, we also dropped the fact that he’d be also returning as The Caped Crusader in the HBO Max Batman Beyond series. While Batman Beyond is still happening, we have now learned that the series will actually be a movie and that Warner Bros. is looking at Timothée Chalamet to come on board as Terry McGinnis, the young man who takes on the Batman mantle.
According to Small-Screen’s Edward Lauder and his sources, “Chalamet and Keaton are close to signing on the dotted line. They have been in talks to star in what will be a Batman Beyond feature-length movie, not a TV show like I previously told you. This Batman Beyond film will be released straight to HBO Max and will be part of the DCEU.”
Lauder said of the rumor about Timothée Chalamet and Michael Keaton, “It’ll be coming to HBO Max – one of their two DC Comics movies a year – and it’s looking like both Keaton and Chalamet will be starring in it. Keaton will be back a Bruce Wayne and Chalamet is being lined up to play Terry McGinnis. Still early days, however, but it’s looking more and more nailed on with every passing minute.”
This announcement seems to fit in lockstep with what the president of DC Films, Walter Hamada, has been speaking about when he came out confirming that DC is ready to ramp up production on all their superheroes. Beginning in 2022, fans can expect up to four films a year hitting the big screen with many offshoots in development. “With every movie that we’re looking at now, we are thinking, ‘What’s the potential Max spinoff?’” Hamada told the New York Times. Timothée Chalamet and Michael Keaton in Batman Beyond would certainly be a series with potential.
But Hamada and DC Films could be playing with fire here and possibly, DC superhero overkill. Their plans are robust, but if the recent history of DC films is any indication, their films have been less hit, more miss. Now, DC seems to be leaning down the multiverse road. Plus with multiple characters likely to be played by multiple actors in different projects, Hamada’s ambitious goals may be a bit more confusing than he hopes, even with a promising cast that includes Timothée Chalamet and the return of Michael Keaton.
Batman Beyond was the animated series that saw an aging Bruce Wayne finally hang up the cowl for good. When on one of his last missions, he ended up pulling a gun on a kidnapper – a move that he felt cowardly – especially given the fact that his parents were shot dead years ago. Wayne retires and years later has a run-in with the young Terry McGinnis – who would be played by Timothée Chalamet – at Wayne Manor. Eventually, McGinnis finds out that Bruce was Batman and from there McGinnis begins to take over the Batman persona.
There is plenty of story here for it to be a series but getting Michael Keaton to commit to a long-term project may not work out financially. A movie is probably a better bet, especially if DC Films is targeting Timothée Chalamet. In the past, Chalamet has expressed interest in joining the Batman franchise as Robin the Boy Wonder. He told Variety, “Actually every director steered away from putting Robin [in a movie] — well, actually Zack Snyder had a flashback of Robin, but it was like three seconds and I don’t even know if it was Robin by name but they’ve steered away from it because it’s hard to do dramatically or something, and I would not…I’m not averse to those universes.”
But now, possibly coming on board as McGinnis and teaming up with Michael Keaton in a Batman Beyond movie looks to be a much better option for Timothée Chalamet. The pair could make a great Batman team going forward, even if DC is already packed with Batmen.
