A dream movie was teased with little hope it would come to fruition. My Dad the Bounty Hunter writer Patrick Harpin and Spider-Verse artist Yuhki Demers have shared stunning concept art for a Batman Beyond movie with a story about how they pitched the idea to Warner Bros. The two shared on Instagram pictures of how Into and Across the Spider-Verse would have influenced the art direction. (seen below).
The Spider-Verse influences can be seen in how the tech was utilized to create a similar aesthetic and lighting. The colors pop as much as the 2023 sequel as we see a neon-lit Gotham, unlike anything we have seen before.
The Story Behind the Spider-Verse Influenced Batman Beyond Movie Concept Art From Patrick Harpin and Yuhki Demers
The film was pitched at Warner Bros. five months ago. They were immediately told “there is absolutely no way” the film would be made. They tried reaching DC co-CEO James Gunn but did not make it that far. They did manage to pitch the film, and due to their “enthusiasm,” the “‘never’ turned into a ‘maybe.'”
The co-CEO has laid out plans for the first wave of his rebooted DCU. For non-canon films they will be designated to Elseworlds, like The Batman 2. It would be likely the space for a Batman Beyond film if the interest from fan reactions to the concept art is enough to get the green light from the studio. That was a major motivation for showing the art as they encourage people to “LIKE & SHARE if you want to see a Batman Beyond Animated Feature in theaters.”
The iteration of the Dark Knight most notably came to the small screen for the animated series from 1999-2001. It followed Terry Giggins, who reinvented the hero under the supervision of an elderly Bruce Wayne to give Gotham a line of defense against rampant criminals.