New information has surfaced regarding Warner Bros. and DC's scrapped Batman Beyond project starring Michael Keaton, including the fact that the film apparently would have seen Keaton's Bruce Wayne rekindle his romance with Selina Kyle/Catwoman.
Industry insider Jeff Sneider recently reported that new DC Studios bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran pulled the plug on a new Batman solo film starring Michael Keaton that would have spun out of the events of The Flash. The project was being written by Christina Hodson, who previously penned The Flash, Birds of Prey and the canceled Batgirl. Umberto Gonzalez of TheWrap not only corroborated Sneider's report, but also stated that the Keaton-led project would have been an adaptation of Batman Beyond.
Following these initial reports, The Hollywood Reporter's Heat Vision newsletter provided additional details on the scrapped project. Apparently, the executives at DC and Warner Bros. were quite excited by Hodson's pitch for a Batman Beyond movie starring Keaton, and that she had actually begun writing it. Two weeks after Gunn and Safran were hired to lead the newly-christened DC Studios, however, she was told to stop.
Moreover, THR reports that Hodson's Batman Beyond movie was "looking to resuscitate a romance between a Michael Keaton Batman and Catwoman." At this time, however, it's unclear if there were any plans for Michelle Pfeiffer to reprise her role as Selina Kyle. Keaton and Pfeiffer previously starred as Batman and Catwoman, respectively, in director Tim Burton's 1992 film Batman Returns, the sequel to the Keaton-led Batman from 1989.
Batman Beyond Sees Bruce Wayne Pass the Mantle
Developed by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini and Alan Burnett, Batman Beyond is an animated series that premiered on Kids' WB in 1999 as part of the DC Animated Universe. A sequel to Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures, the show takes place in the futuristic Neo Gotham City. In Batman Beyond, an older, retired Bruce Wayne (Kevin Conroy) acts as a mentor to the new Batman, a teenager named Terry McGinnis (Will Friedle).
Batman Beyond originally ran for three seasons from 1999 to 2001, though that's not the end of the story. An acclaimed animated feature film, Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, was released in 2000. Terry McGinnis' Batman even eventually joined DC's main comic book continuity. In light of recent developments, however, it seems fans will have to keep waiting for a live-action take. Still, THR notes that Gunn and Safran "know" and "may even love" Terry, and that certain on-screen DC characters who seem to be done could eventually get a second life under their leadership.
The Flash Marks Michael Keaton's Return as Batman
Despite projects like Batgirl and Batman Beyond falling through, Keaton is still set to reprise his role as an older Bruce Wayne/Batman in The Flash, which is currently scheduled for release on June 23, 2023. The DC Universe film will mark Keaton's first time playing Batman since Batman Returns hit theaters 30 years ago.
Meanwhile, Pfeiffer has moved on to an entirely different superhero franchise. The Dangerous Liaisons alum made her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut as Janet van Dyne, the original Wasp, in the 2018 film Ant-Man and the Wasp, the sequel to 2015's Ant-Man. She is set to reprise her role in Ant-Man and the Wasp's own sequel, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which is itself scheduled for release on Feb. 17, 2023
Source: The Hollywood Reporter