As the last DCEU film, a lot was riding onThe Flash, not just in terms of whether its success or failure would justify a reboot, but also whether Warner Bros. Discovery would allegedly green lightBatman Beyond, presumably with Michael Keaton’s Batman.Keaton had a bright future ahead of him as Batman followingThe Flashunder the previous Warner Bros. regime. However, after the Warner Bros. and Discovery merger, that future, among many others, was short-lived. Under the leadership of Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav,theBatgirlmovie was canceled, which would have featured Keaton’s Batman, and other Batman appearances have since been axed. However, regardingBatman Beyond, there seem to be conflicting reports on all sides as to what the future holds.RELATED:DC: Michael Keaton Could Be Done As Batman Again After Batgirl CancellationIn December 2022, industry insiders reported thatBatman Beyondwas on hold indefinitely following the Discovery merger. However, as expressed on theFatman Beyondpodcast, Kevin Smith re-tells running into Michael Uslan’s son atThe Flashpremiere, where he learned thatBatman Beyondmay have rested onThe Flash’s box office successin its opening weekend. The film producer, Michael Uslan, bought the rights toBatmanand has since appeared in the credits of every Batman movie fromBatman(1989)toThe Batman. AtThe Flashpremiere, Michael Uslan’s son told Smith that the reason his father wasn’t at the premiere was that he was fixated on the real-time gross numbers ofThe Flashbecause, according to the producer’s son, it was planned that WBD would green lightBatman BeyondifThe Flashmade equivalent toThe Batmanbox office numbers on its opening weekend.
The following day, Uslan debunked these rumors stating on Instagram that “this is not an accurate story at all.” Rather than it being the case of faulty information or either Kevin Smith or Uslan’s son misrepresenting what was said, it is more likely thatlive-actionBatman Beyondwas being considered at Warner Bros.Discovery. However, becauseThe Flash’s opening weekend didn’t make anywhere near the box office numbers ofThe Batman, and even underperformed compared to what it was tracking to do, Uslan had to walk statements back that maybe never should have been shared publicly.
Acontinuation ofBatman Beyonddepends on fans, and the character has ultimately been underutilized since its creation. Although, seeing as howThe Flashre-introduces audiences to Keaton’s Batman, now would be the best time to make that movie, especially withThe Flashhaving opened the DC multiverse for different timelines of different versions to co-exist within the DC canon on film.Batman Beyondwith Keaton, preferably directed by Tim Burton, would still be something WBD could reconsider, butThe Flashbeing a financial success would help its chances in the long run.
