Unannounced animated Batman Beyond film may still be in the works

Former WB President Walter Hamada reportedly greenlit an animated Batman Beyond film that may or may not still be in development under James Gunn.

Though DC Studios bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran recently outlined their future movie slate, many questions about the DCU continue to swarm.

New films like an adaptation of Tom King’s stellar Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow are in the works, for example. Meanwhile, properties established under Walter Hamada, such as Matt Reeves’ The Batman universe, won’t be affected by the leadership shift.

But what of the Hamada-ordered projects that never entered the spotlight? Reportedly, there’s at least one more the former executive greenlit that fans will want to know about.

An animated Batman Beyond film was once in development

In the latest episode of The Hot Mic with Jeff Sneider and John Rocha, Sneider claimed WB Pictures has an unannounced animated Batman Beyond movie in production. Apparently, the film serves as an answer to Sony’s wildly successful Into the Spider-Verse.

Hamada commissioned the project in question, with Sneider alleging that F9: The Fast Saga scribe, Daniel Casey, wrote multiple drafts.

According to Sneider, “as of this minute, the project is in development at DC.” He notes, however, that Gunn and Safran could one day shelve the film if it doesn’t align with their plans.

“No one involved in that project has been told it’s dead yet,” the podcast host added in the middle of the segment. What the future holds in this regard remains unknown. (Batman Beyond talk begins around the 4:00 mark in the following video.)

It wouldn’t be the first time Bruce Timm’s version of the Caped Crusader received a theatrical release. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, an extension of Batman: The Animated Series, launched theatrically in 1993.

While WB developed Return of the Joker for its BTAS follow-up, Batman Beyond, the animated picture launched direct-to-video in 2000.

WB once planned for the futuristic franchise’s return, though, as Michael Keaton was previously attached to a live-action Batman Beyond adaptation. The studio canned the film late last year.