Nearly 20 years after the beloved animated TV show Batman Beyond left the airwaves, a talented concept artist has reimagined the series as a Christopher Nolan-inspired feature film. The Batman Beyond series was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and DC Comics at the turn of the millennium. The show follows the adventures of Terry McGinnis, a teenager in the future, as he trains to become the new Batman under the tutelage of Bruce Wayne himself. The show spanned 52 episodes across three seasons, not to mention one feature film, but fans have been waiting two decades for a promised fourth season. For now, the story has continued in a series of comics.
In the years since it went off the air, many Batman Beyond fans have grown up. And that's resulted in a lot of very creative Batman Beyond fan art over the years. The show has retained a loyal fanbase, and many fans are still hoping that the fabled fourth season one day materializes.
Now, Thomas du Crest, a concept artist from the United Kingdom, has published his take on a Batman Beyond movie. For this project, du Crest has imagined the world of Batman Beyond in the style of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy. The artwork portrays McGinnis in an advanced wingsuit and beside futuristic vehicles. The overall aesthetic will be familiar to fans of Nolan's Batman films. The images will make Batman Beyond fans even more eager for a continuation of McGinnis' story, whether that takes place on TV or on the big screen. According to du Crest, he imagines his concept art as a direct continuation of the Nolan trilogy:
I wanted to play with the idea of a Batman Beyond adaptation set in Christopher Nolan's universe, with [John Blake] as the new Batman as it is suggested at the end of The Dark Knight Rises. Here are some costume explorations, trying to mix Nolan's realistic and practical approach with a more futuristic style.
Most recently, Batman has appeared in the DCEU films. However, the DCEU universe has always lived in the shadow of Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy. As Marvel was proving that it was possible to build a lucrative shared universe around interconnected superhero movies, Batman was busy starring in his own franchise. Nolan's Batman films were widely praised, but the stories were always 100% self-contained. Since then, the DCEU universe has struggled. While the films have many devoted fans, no actors have been nominated for an Oscar for their work in the Justice League movies. On top of that, some DCEU films have had very troubled productions.
As such, it's easy to see why fans would be so eager to see Batman Beyond in a Nolan-inspired universe. Because his stories take place in the future, McGinnis would be a long shot to appear in the DCEU. For now, fans will have to satiate their Batman Beyond fandom needs with this incredible new concept art. Even if it exists only in fans' imagination, this must-see concept art teases a movie that many Batman Beyond fans would love to see.
Source: Thomas du Crest
