More details are coming in about the secret Batman Beyond movie that was in the works at DCU. Just recently, new rumors have emerged about the film, which was planned to serve as both an adaptation of the animated series Batman Beyond as well as an offshoot of The Flash. Michael Keaton would return as an older Bruce Wayne to mentor a younger Dark Knight with the screenplay coming from Christina Hodson (The Flash, Batgirl).
Reportedly, the project was scrapped after James Gunn and Peter Safran came on board to take control of the DCU's future plans. Per THR, Hodson had pitched her take to the executives at Warner Bros. Discovery, who were said to be "excited" about the film. The screenplay was in the works until, according to the latest report, Gunn and Safran put the kibosh on the movie about two weeks after their hiring was announced.
What's worse for fans of the classic Batman movies starring Keaton was that there were also big plans for another major character to appear. Word is the film would've featured a rekindled romance between Batman and Catwoman, and it seems likely that the goal would have been for Michelle Pfeiffer to reunite with her Batman Returns co-star to reprise the role. Pfeiffer has even said publicly that she'd be open to such a return, so it seems likely that it would have happened if the project were to have moved forward.
"I’d consider it," Pfeiffer previously told THR in April. "She pulled off the almost impossible combo of sexy, ironic, tragic, dangerous, and just plain good."
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The good news for fans upset about the Batman Beyond movie fizzling out before it was even officially announced is that it doesn't necessarily mean that the show's characters can't still pop up in the DCU. The THR report notes that Gunn and Safran "may even love" Terry McGinnis, the central character in Batman Beyond who becomes the new Batman following Bruce Wayne's retirement. But there's nothing set in stone, and an appearance in the DCU from Terry will not be as satisfying as a full-fledged Batman Beyond film for the fans who've long wanted to see it happen.
Keaton will still be seen as his version of Batman when The Flash hits theaters on June 16, 2023. He would have also been seen in Batgirl, but that movie was controversially canceled as well before Gunn and Safran had even gotten involved with the DCU. It's another tough break for Hodson with two exciting projects canceled in a row, but at least with Batman Beyond, the entire film hadn't yet been already filmed.