Michael Keaton won’t return to Gotham City. In a recent Fatman Beyond podcast, host and Clerks director Kevin Smith discussed an encounter with David Uslan, the son of Michael Uslan, the producer and rights holder who’s primarily responsible for the proliferation of Batman films post the 60s; Uslan told Smith his father did not attend the Flash premiere. When Smith asked why he was told the producer was at home watching grosses come in for the flash. The reason: had Flash been successful, Warner Bros would have moved forward with a Batman Beyond film starring Michael Keaton.
Batman Beyond was created by Bruce Timm in 1999 and centered on a retired Bruce Wayne 50 years in the future who mentors a troubled young man named Terry McGinnis. McGinnis dons the Batsuit to avenge his father’s death and protect Neo Gotham from a new breed of criminal
This is not the first time we have heard of such a film, with Flash screenwriter Christina Hodson writing the film before James Gunn and Peter Safran raking over and cleaning house at DC. Given the Flash’s abysmal box office, this is a moot point now, but the idea of a Michael Keaton Batman beyond film is a tantalizing prospect. Fans have been talking about this idea for years, so to see that it was essentially taken away not once but twice is incredibly disheartening. That being said, it’s hard to deny that a largely clean slate (safe for peacemaker) is the best course of action for Gunn and Safran going forward. Despite the iconography of Keaton in the Batsuit, it’s clear the general audience didn’t respond the way Warner Brothers had hoped. Perhaps one day, the studio will revisit the Batman Beyond idea when they have a better foundation for this universe.
Are you sad that Batman Beyond isn’t happening? Did you enjoy The Flash?
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