This Batman Beyond Movie Concept Art Gives Spider-Verse Vibes - But Will It Happen?
The fact that "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" not only premiered in theaters but became a big hit is a testament to the film's quality, given the rarity with which animated superhero movies succeed on that level. Of course, the sequel, "Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse," blew everyone away at the box office, proving its predecessor's popularity wasn't an anomaly. With this in mind, it could be time for another superhero franchise to receive the Spider-Verse treatment. Perhaps the closest anyone has come is high-quality concept art for a movie based on the "Batman Beyond" cartoon that depicts the Terry McGinnis version of Batman in a version of Neo-Gotham inspired by the Spider-Verse art style.
5 months ago Patrick Harpin walked into @wbpictures @DCofficial and pitched a 𝘉𝘢𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘉𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 Animated Feature.
Before we pitched, they warned us "there is absolutely no way we can do a 𝘉𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 movie", but they loved our enthusiasm. We pitched the outline for the... pic.twitter.com/1mhFyu6NUp
— Yuhki Demers (@yuhkidemers) February 20, 2024
This art is the work of Yuhki Demers, who shared three detailed images and the story behind their conception on X, formerly known as Twitter. In the first picture, "Batman Beyond" villain Inque is chasing the hero through a busy road. The second depicts Batman in a neon-lit alley, and the final one is a wide shot of Batman on a rooftop accompanied by a redesigned logo.
Demers is credited with visual development on both Spider-Verse movies, so the resemblance isn't incidental. For now, it seems unlikely that these images will inspire the production of an actual "Batman Beyond" feature in the Spider-Verse style, but this is Demers' goal and probably not impossible on a sufficiently long timeline.
A Batman Beyond film could happen down the line
Before Yuhki Demers' post, news of a "Batman Beyond" movie surfaced amidst talks of a scrapped Michael Keaton Batman project. Supposedly, the actor was supposed to play the aged version of Bruce Wayne, who advises Terry McGinnis in the "Batman Beyond" cartoon. The project was removed from the slate as plans for James Gunn's DC Universe reboot rounded into shape.
According to Demers' tweet, his concept art was part of a pitch he and Patrick Harpin (his former collaborator on the Netflix show "My Dad the Bounty Hunter") presented to Warner Bros. "What started as a 'never' turned into a 'maybe,'" Demers wrote about the outcome of that pitch.
Eventually, Demers and Harpin would like to bring their idea to Gunn. This post is most likely in service of that plan, given that sufficient fan interest could help prove the project's feasibility. Nevertheless, plenty of important steps remain before a "Batman Beyond" movie becomes official, let alone enters production. So, while nothing is in the cards for now, it's always possible this concept art will turn into something greater.