Exclusive: Batman Beyond Revival In The Works
The latest Giant Freakin Robot exclusive has it that there is a Batman Beyond revival in the works over at HBO Max. It could take many forms.
This article is more than 2 years old
Could we be returning to one of the more interesting storylines and plot arcs to come around in the Batman franchise in some time? It is looking that way and would be a welcome addition to a new stable of programming coming to HBO Max around the DC Universe. The streamer has been leaning heavily into programming around these characters and more could be on the way. The latest Giant Freakin Robot exclusive, from our trusted and proven source, has it that Warner Bros. is considering reviving Batman Beyond on the streamer, setting us back in the world of an aging Bruce Wayne and his protege Terry McGinnis.
While details on this Batman Beyond revival are light, there are a couple of ways it could go on the streamer. It could just be a full reboot of the series, starting the story over again from the beginning and updating it for a modern-day audience. Considering it’s been more than two decades since the original hit the small screen, this path makes the most sense in building out a new audience. The alternative would be to pick up the story where they left off considering the original is now streaming on HBO Max anyway. Though that line feels much less likely considering how series reboots are handled these days.
Batman Beyond lasted for three seasons on the Kid’s WB from 1999 to 2001. It follows the story of an aging Bruce Wayne who is getting long in the tooth after decades of crimefighting. Following a decline in his skills and abilities, Wayne as Batman violates one of his core principles in a fight and ultimately decides to retire. Years later, well advanced in age and definitely bitter and traumatized over his years in the cape and cowl, he is living reclusively in Wayne Manor. But that is until teenager Terry McGinnis stumbles into Bruce Wayne which leads them on a path towards the former becoming the new Batman.
Set in a future, decades after the “original” Batman timeline, Batman Beyond has a more futuristic element to it, lending a variety of new villains and characters to the mix. From this perspective, it’s an ideal series to reboot because it offers an avenue to introduce a number of new faces to the current DC mix. Sure, updated versions of the old faithful are here as well, but Batman Beyond at least stylistically has a different vibe than many other stories in the Batman universe.
Batman Beyond was a critical hit on the WB for its three seasons, sitting at a cool 100% for the duration. It wasn’t through a ton of reviews, but the consensus is definitely there. Interestingly enough, while this new Batman Beyond project appears to be trending towards an animated series, there is a path that could see something like this live-action form as well. That’s because we are getting an aged Batman/ Bruce Wayne into the mix sooner than later. That will be when Michael Keaton reprises his Bruce Wayne role in the upcoming The Flash movie. This is all hanging out there right now with the world of DC able to take this in a number of different directions.
