BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES Sequel Reportedly In Development For HBO Max

BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES Sequel Reportedly In Development For HBO Max

Batman: The Animated Series is rightly considered a classic, but reliable sources are now reporting that a sequel of some sort is currently in development for HBO Max. Find out more details after the jump!

By JoshWilding - Jan 19, 2021 04:01 AM EST
Filed Under: Batman (Animated)
Source: Fatman Beyond Podcast

DC Universe is no more, but DC Comics properties remain a priority for WarnerMedia. Now, they're heading to HBO Max as the company looks to increase its subscriber count (and how better to do that than with superheroes?). It seems the plan is to hit us right in the nostalgia "feels," though, because a sequel to Batman: The Animated Series is reportedly in the works. 

The news was shared on Kevin Smith's Fatman Beyond podcast when co-host Marc Bernardin shared a rumour that "HBO Max is looking at making a Batman: The Animated Series sequel that they want to continue that forward." Smith would add to this point, noting that, "I'm not involved, but I too have heard this and I've heard this from very reliable people."

The series only ran from 1992 to 1995, but is considered a classic, and the home of many iconic characters and stories (which have inspired both what we've seen on the big screen and the page).

As well as introducing Harley Quinn, the show also delivered iconic performances from Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamill as The Joker. The prospect of those two butting heads again is undeniably exciting, and you have to believe that there are still more stories which this revival can tell. 

The big question is whether this is going to come our way as a series of standalone movie. 

Of course, these possible plans for Batman: The Animated Series are just a rumour for now, but the information comes our way from a reliable source, so here's hoping we get some official news soon.


How will Michael Keaton's return as Batman change the
DCEU forever? Hit the "Next" button below to find out!

10. Batman Beyond

Batman-Beyond

For years, fans have hoped that Terry McGinnis could be brought to the big screen for some sort of Batman Beyond adaptation. It's something Warner Bros. has considered at various points over the years, but Keaton's return opens the door to that finally becoming a reality. 

In the animated series and comic books, Terry becomes the new Batman in a futuristic version of Gotham City with an older Bruce Wayne serving as his mentor. 

Tim Burton's unique Gotham is bound to have undergone some major changes over the past thirty years, and so we don't need to jump any further into the future to make this story work. This is one of the best possible uses of the older Batman in the DCEU, and gives the world a new Dark Knight to help fill the void left by Robert Pattinson's version existing in his own world.
 

9. Batfleck Never Happened

Batfleck

We alluded to this in our introduction, but the events of The Flash will mean that Ben Affleck's Batman is no more. Now, it's possible Warner Bros. is essentially recasting his version of the hero, and that it was Keaton's Caped Crusader who fought Superman and helped found the Justice League.

The difficulty there is that Keaton is twenty years older than Affleck, though he doesn't look it! 

Regardless, we could be about to move into a DCEU where none of the events of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice or Justice League happened, a game-changer in its own right. Honestly, given the reception to those movies, perhaps that shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. 
 

8. The Bat Family

Batgirl

Something that's been sorely missing from Batman's time in the DCEU thus far is the "Bat Family." Batman v Superman confirmed that Bruce Wayne once protected Gotham City alongside Robin, but there's been no sign of Nightwing, and Batgirl remains M.I.A. from the big screen. 

The introduction (or return) of Keaton's Batman means the character has a lengthy, rebooted history, and there's no reason to suspect he hasn't had his fair share of sidekicks over the years.

While it's a shame we won't get to explore their early years with the Dark Knight, this new world created by the Flash could easily see Batman have a number of former sidekicks who have broken out on their own. With that, the stage would be set for them to shine in their own solo outings.
 

7. A New Dynamic With Superman

MOS

While Warner Bros. doesn't appear to have any plans in place for a Man of Steel sequel, it's been said that Henry Cavill is in talks to make a series of cameo appearances in future DCEU projects.

Common sense says that he'll one day get involved with that battle between Shazam and Black Adam, but surely he'll factor into The Flash in some way? Even if he doesn't, Superman is bound to have an entirely different dynamic with this Batman, and it's even possible he'll be aged up a little.

Superman remains one of DC Comics' most iconic characters, and it doesn't make sense to leave him on the shelf for much longer. It makes even less sense not to have him meet this Batman. 
 

6. More Established Heroes

Tenet212122312

In many ways, the DCEU is still very much in its infancy, and that means a lot of familiar faces from the comic books have yet to make their big screen debuts. However, just like the version of "Flashpoint" on the page created a new DC Universe, so too could this upcoming movie. 

In that, some familiar faces could be established as heroes in the new DCEU without the need for origin stories. Green Arrow is one name that springs to mind, especially as he has history with Batman.

Ultimately, it would be a real shame for The Flash to end with the exact same shared world and the only major difference being a new Batman. Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Nightwing, and Supergirl are all examples of characters who could show up in a DCEU with more history. 
 

5. Catwoman (Also) Returns

Cat

Crisis on Infinite Earths is unlikely to have any sort of impact on what happens in The Flash, but in that crossover's version of Batman's world, he and Selina Kyle were about to get married. 

Batman Returns teased Catwoman's return after her apparent demise, and it's likely that had Tim Burton directed another movie, she would have been reunited with Bruce Wayne. Assuming that happened in the years which followed, there's no reason she can't be part of the hero's life in The Flash.

It's not often that Batman gets a happy ending, but we'd much prefer to see him living his life with Selina when the Scarlet Speedster tracks him down...especially if Michelle Pfieffer suits up again!
 

4. No New Joker

Joker

In Batman, The Joker was given a much different origin story and ended up falling to his death after clashing with the Caped Crusader. With that, his story came to an end, and assuming those first two movies are canon, then the DCEU will now be without one of its greatest villains. 

Jared Leto is unlikely to ever reprise the role of the Clown Prince of Crime after the way he was treated during Suicide Squad, and Joker was obviously completely standalone in nature.

There are already rumours that Matt Reeves has plans for a new version of the villain in his The Batman trilogy, so The Joker certainly isn't going to be overlooked in the coming years. However, the main DCEU will not have one, and that's obviously going to disappoint a lot of comic book fans.
 

3. Retcons Aplenty

Joker

There's no two ways about it; The Flash is going to lead to some major changes to the DCEU, and not just in Batman's world. There will almost certainly be some big retcons, with characters rebooted and past movies potentially wiped out of existence or no longer part of this universe's "canon."

Warner Bros. has been moving toward standalone stories featuring these comic book heroes and villains for a while now, and the events of The Flash could go some way in facilitating that.

For all we know, everything will essentially operate in its own world by the time all is said and done, though it seems more likely that there's going to be a new DCEU, albeit with only loose connections and few crossovers. If Aquaman and Shazam! were any indication, that should work. However, it's hard not to hope we don't end up with the DC Comics version of the MCU here! 
 

2. A True Batman 3

Joker2

This admittedly feels like wishful thinking on our part, but how cool would it be if Warner Bros. were to bring back Tim Burton and let him make a Batman 3? How that would work given how much time has passed is unclear, though we're sure there are still plenty of stories he could attempt to tell here. 

What if the Red Hood were to arrive in Gotham City looking for revenge against Batman? Alternatively, we could see the Caped Crusader locked in Arkham Asylum, taking on his greatest enemies one final time (with age no longer on his side...then again, this Batman was never overly physical). 

The Batman Beyond idea may be what actually works best for this possible third movie, however!
 

1. An Entirely Different Gotham City

Joker

We mentioned this at the start of this feature, but Gotham City is bound to be vastly different to the one seen in the movies Ben Affleck's Batman appeared in. Tim Burton's take on the iconic comic book location was extremely unique, and very much a gothic landscape unlike anything we'd seen before.

While that's bound to have evolved over the past thirty years, you can bet your life that Gotham is going to be completely different, and exploring that promises to be a lot of fun. 

Whether this leads to any other aesthetic changes to this shared world remains to be seen, but if it makes everything a little more comic book-y, that would certainly be no bad thing.
 

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RageDriver2401
RageDriver2401 - 1/19/2021, 4:39 AM
RageDriver2401
RageDriver2401 - 1/19/2021, 4:41 AM
But then again, this is a Kevin Smith rumour..
aresww3
aresww3 - 1/19/2021, 5:38 AM
@RageDriver2401 - you know i'd be totally down for this if they had a wonder woman animated series coming out as well.
tb86
tb86 - 1/19/2021, 4:40 AM
I hope this doesn’t mess with the continuity of the other DCAU shows. Whoever is working on this hopefully knows this animated series is part of a bigger universe.
Darkknight2149
Darkknight2149 - 1/19/2021, 9:41 AM
@tb86 -
It will probably be an adaptation of Batman: The Adventures Continue.

tb86
tb86 - 1/19/2021, 9:55 AM
@Darkknight2149 - does this mess with the continuity of Batman Beyond and Justice League
dracula
dracula - 1/19/2021, 10:28 AM
@tb86 - hope they give Nightwing back his mullet or at least something different than what he had in Batman And Harley Quinn
dracula
dracula - 1/19/2021, 10:31 AM
@Darkknight2149 - That would be great, would just need to recast Tim Drake and cast Jason. For sure should just get Ron Perlman for Deathstroke. Maybe continue further past where the comic left off.
dragon316
dragon316 - 1/19/2021, 10:47 AM
@Darkknight2149 - hate how they made deathstroke in that series they made him like pedphile kill Batman keep sidekicks alive
GwenLantern
GwenLantern - 1/19/2021, 11:41 AM
@dragon316 - Um, hate to break it to you, but Deathstroke kinda was a peadophile back in the Judas Contract.
Chewtoy
Chewtoy - 1/19/2021, 4:41 AM
It’s very hard to catch lightning in a bottle twice, especially without all of the pieces of the original creative team. But it’d be a helluva good thing if they somehow managed to do so...
dracula
dracula - 1/19/2021, 10:32 AM
@Chewtoy - Well they managed to properly bring back Animaniacs, Batman and Animaniacs were the best animated shows of that era
Chewtoy
Chewtoy - 1/19/2021, 12:35 PM
@dracula - Now I need Disney to bring back Gargoyles.
dracula
dracula - 1/19/2021, 12:41 PM
@Chewtoy - Well if they can't bring back Spectacular Spiderman, might as well bring back another one of Weissman's shows, although need to wait for him to finish Young Justice
Mrcool210
Mrcool210 - 1/19/2021, 4:41 AM
Oh no no no.




BTAS and the entire dcau are fantastic and had a good end to it all. With a decent continuity. If this was Paul Dini only being involved maybe with Timm only drawing I may be down for it. But Timm seems to be the one wanting to do more things set in that world, and if killing joke and batman/Harley Quinn proved anything it's that Timm has gone totally wacked and forgot how to tell good stories.


If this does happen I pray to god it's good cause I've been watching the sequel series we already got. And that doesn't need to be replaced.



PS: Terry is still the GOAT
RageDriver2401
RageDriver2401 - 1/19/2021, 4:50 AM
@Mrcool210 - I hate that when I search for "schway" gifs a bunch of Nora Allen gifs show up.
JonAwesome
JonAwesome - 1/19/2021, 4:51 AM
@Mrcool210 - that’s why they need Paul Dini signed on too!
Mrcool210
Mrcool210 - 1/19/2021, 4:59 AM
@RageDriver2401 - @RageDriver2401 - I wish "Schway" had actually become one of the new slang terms. I would connect with people a lot better if they said a song was "Schway" instead of that it slaps.
aresww3
aresww3 - 1/19/2021, 5:41 AM
@Mrcool210 - @Mrcool210 - the x men animated series was better. so was the justice league animated series.

batman beyond was okay.
Nightwing1015
Nightwing1015 - 1/19/2021, 6:44 AM
@Mrcool210 - Nah I think it's a good idea. I don't want to live in a world where Batman and Harley Quinn is the last canon entry into the DCAU, do you? Dini needs to step in and fix this!!
Mrcool210
Mrcool210 - 1/19/2021, 6:54 AM
@Nightwing1015 - That's only if Dini is involved though. Yeah it sucks that Batman Harley Quinn is the last thing we have right now. But this could be so so much worse
Nightwing1015
Nightwing1015 - 1/19/2021, 7:00 AM
@Mrcool210 - Yeah exactly, if Dini's not involved they shouldn't do it but I think a one-off movie would be cool if he's on board.
geekarchitect
geekarchitect - 1/19/2021, 7:56 AM
@Mrcool210 - They should start introducing McGinnes to a wider audience. This the last Batman animated series I have watched.
Spock0Clock
Spock0Clock - 1/19/2021, 9:02 AM
@geekarchitect - McGinnis is in a tough place (similar to Miguel O'Hara) where it's not just the character that's cool, but also the entire setting. You can't just plop them into an alternate mainstream reality like you can Miles Morales without losing so much of their DNA.

I'm not saying they shouldn't keep trying, of course. Just that it's tough.
dracula
dracula - 1/19/2021, 10:36 AM
@Mrcool210 - have you read Batman The Adventure Cotinues, its great stuff, introducing new characters, including Jason Todd.

Also Bruce Timm has done some great stuff



dracula
dracula - 1/19/2021, 10:37 AM
@aresww3 - x men the animated series is crazy dated the DCAU shows are timeless. None of the marvel shows had the animation quality of the dc shows
aresww3
aresww3 - 1/19/2021, 3:42 PM
@dracula - agree about the animation, but storywise I like X-MEN MORE than Batman animated series. the dcau beats all of them.
dracula
dracula - 1/19/2021, 3:46 PM
@aresww3 - I guess that makes sense, X Men had ongoing stories. the DCAU didn't do ongoing stories until Superman, Batman was mostly stand alone episodes, with occasional follow ups
shadowspider9
shadowspider9 - 1/20/2021, 11:13 AM
@Mrcool210 - I will never get over the use of the phrase 'it slaps' because that is literally an old 50s term.
I know I've seen it in old movies where you have young characters trying to be 'cool cats'
DaHyro
DaHyro - 1/19/2021, 4:46 AM
We still don’t have HBO Max in Canada.. we legally can’t even stream Harley Quinn here :(
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