Even all these years later, Batman: The Animated Series is still considered to be the pinnacle of DC animation, and now a new rumor has emerged that a sequel is being worked on with plans for it to debut on HBO Max. The rumor a follow-up is being developed comes courtesy of Kevin Smith's Fatman Beyond podcast, on which co-host Marc Bernardin shared some of his insider knowledge.

"HBO Max is looking at making a Batman: The Animated Series sequel that they want to continue that forward."

Alongside Bernardin's comments, Smith also offered his two cents, revealing that he too has heard murmurs behind the scenes regarding a proposed sequel to Batman: The Animated Series.

"I'm not involved, but I too have heard this, and I've heard this from very reliable people."

Of course, nothing has yet been confirmed, but considering that Warner Bros and HBO Max are still very much in the DC movie business, a sequel to such a critically acclaimed series as Batman: The Animated Series is really a no-brainer, especially when the streaming service is looking for projects that will entice subscribers. Anything Batman related is usually an easy sell.

Developed by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Mitch Brian, and produced by Warner Bros. Animation, Batman: The Animated Series ran from 1992 to 1995 for a total of total of 85 episodes. Based on the DC Comics superhero, Batman, the series explores various adventures undertaken by Gotham's Dark Knight, and finds the vigilante tackling a whole host of iconic villains including The Joker, Catwoman, the Riddler, Two-Face, Poison Ivy, Ra's al Ghul, The Penguin, The Scarecrow, Killer Croc, and Bane, as well as a fewer lesser-known adversaries such as the Mad Hatter, and the Man-Bat.

The show is well-remembered for its thematic complexity, film noir aesthetics, and more adult-oriented, darker tone, as well as its recognizable theme tune and quintessential voice work from the likes of Kevin Conroy as Bruce Wayne/Batman and Star Wars' Mark Hamill as The Joker. Batman: The Animated Series also introduced the character Harley Quinn to Batman lore, and spawned several feature films, including 1993's Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, which many still consider to be the greatest movie ever made based on the DC superhero.

Talk of a sequel is interesting, especially considering that Batman: The Animated Series has already received a sequel series in the form of Batman Beyond. Airing between 1999 and 2001, Batman Beyond picks up with the DC icon in 2039 and follows the adventures of Terry McGinnis, a teenager on the wrong side of the tracks, who is taken under the wing of an elderly and retired Bruce Wane. Driven by remorse and vengeance, and gifted with a high-tech bat-suit, McGinnis uses all the gadgets and training Bruce can throw at him to take down criminals in the harsh, crime-ridden Neo-Gotham.

This series, along with the likes of the television series Justice League and Justice League Unlimited managed to fill in a lot of the gap between Batman: The Animated Series and the future of 2039, not leaving too much room for a straight up sequel. Regardless, more material set in the Batman: The Animated Series universe is certainly an intriguing prospect and is surely something that fans would love to see. This comes to us from Kevin Smith's Fatman Beyond.