A Batman Beyond movie interests James Gunn, whose comments point to the animated series as a possible film adaptation. The show follows teenager Terry McGinnis as he assumes the Batman role in the near future. Rumors of a movie have persisted for years, but Warner Bros. has never approved one.
During an interview with Hola! USA, the DC Studios co-CEO was asked which animated Batman could work as a movie. He replied, “I love Batman Beyond. So that’s a great thing for the future. And I think that’s something that originated in animation that could be a good movie.” His comments were posted by DC Film News on October 14, 2026.
No project has been confirmed by those remarks, nor do they show that DC Studios has commissioned a screenplay or approached prospective directors. Nerdist reads Gunn’s response as a sign that he and co-CEO Peter Safran would consider Gotham stories outside the present day and beyond Bruce Wayne.
Originally developed for animation by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Alan Burnett in 1999, Batman Beyond subsequently became part of DC Comics mythology. Terry learns that the now-elderly Bruce Wayne was once Batman and becomes his apprentice. Taking over as Gotham’s new Dark Knight, Terry wears a high-tech suit that gives him the ability to fly.
For Nerdist, several elements make the concept particularly well suited to film. A story set in the future of the DCU could remain largely self-contained. Its appeal, the outlet argues, comes from pairing Batman’s familiar imagery with Iron Man’s technology-based superhero action and Spider-Man’s teenage drama. Nerdist calls Batman arguably the most popular or second-most-popular hero in the world, and says this combination helped the show connect with fans despite running for only a few seasons.
Nerdist would welcome either a live-action adaptation or an animated movie drawing on the style of the Spider-Verse films, seeing comparable potential in both. It hopes DC Studios will eventually make the film. There’s already been a concrete proposal for the latter approach: an animated Batman Beyond movie in the Spider-Verse style has previously been pitched.
