After the success of The Batman, fans are revisiting Batman Beyond, the beloved animated series that ran in the late ’90s and early 2000s. Warner Bros. is seemingly greenlighting everything Batman-related, so much that audiences will see three different iterations of Batman this year (Robert Pattinson in The Batman and Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck in The Flash). There’s even going to be another animated series released exclusively for HBO Max. So, there’s no reason why the studio can’t develop a live-action Batman Beyond movie.
If anything, it makes sense now more than ever, as every portrayal of Batman is so dark, but Batman Beyond is more family-friendly than any other depiction. There are a handful of directors who would do a great job bringing the animated series to life, whether it’s box office king James Cameron or sci-fi auteur Denis Villeneuve.
Denis Villeneuve
Villeneuve is in high demand right now, and while he might be all locked up with the Dune sequel, he would deliver a stunning Batman Beyond. Dune showed that the director is best at mixing digital effects into a movie to the point where it’s impossible to know what is an effect and what isn’t.
On top of that, with Blade Runner 2049 being set in the future with its advanced technology and giant neon billboards, the movie was essentially Villeneuve’s audition for the futuristic Batman movie. And according to Game Rant, Villeneuve stated that Batman is the only comic book character he can relate to, so there’s already interest there.
Simon McQuoid
It isn’t clear what connection Simon McQuoid has to Warner Bros., but there must be something there, as the studio gave him the keys to Mortal Kombat. McQuoid directed the 2021 reboot despite having absolutely no directing credits, not even an episode of TV or even a commercial. But the risk massively paid off, as though critics weren’t receptive to the video game movie, it was a huge hit amongst fans.
Batman Beyond needs a director who is unapologetic in the way that they reference the series, whether it’s the iconic electronic theme or the over-the-top villains. And Mortal Kombat not only doesn’t shy away from that sort of thing; it embraces it. That’s why Mortal Kombat deserves a sequel and why Warner Bros. should double down and hand McQuoid the keys to an even bigger franchise.
James Cameron
Cameron has never directed a superhero movie, and he seemingly has no interest, as he’s fully invested in Avatar and its four sequels. But the thought of a Cameron-helmed anything is what dreams are made of, especially Batman Beyond.
More than anything, the director cares about the technical advancement of filmmaking, and that goes for both practical and digital effects. Given that Batman Beyond is about a superhero set in the future, the property would be a challenging task for Cameron, whether it’s the futuristic, gliding Batsuit or the more sci-fi and supernatural-themed villains. But the renowned filmmaker would make a sprawling epic out of it — even if it takes him 12 years.
Sam Mendes
Sam Mendes is more of a director-for-hire, making movies that range from cutesy romantic comedies to war dramas. That goes against the grain of Batman movies, as they are usually helmed by cinematic visionaries with their unique trademarks, whether it’s Tim Burton, Christopher Nolan, or Zack Snyder. However, while the filmmaker isn’t quite the auteur that Villeneuve or Cameron is, he has been getting more and more ambitious with each consecutive movie.
The Mendes-directed James Bond movie, Skyfall, is one of the most beloved 007 films ever, and that’s mostly thanks to the vivid action sequences that balance both drama and humor. At one point, James Bond even fights a komodo dragon, so Mendes would know how to handle scenes where Batman takes on the likes of Woof, a human-hyena hybrid.
Jon Watts
With Batman Beyond set decades after the original Batman protected Gotham, the man behind the mask obviously isn’t Bruce Wayne. In fact, the man isn’t a man at all, but teenager Terry McGinnis, who has to balance fighting crime with his high school homework. And no director can tap into that better than Jon Watts, the director of the latest Spider-Man trilogy.
A Watts-helmed Batman Beyond wouldn’t have the completely same tone as the Home trilogy, but the director could bring that John Hughes-inspired coming-of-age drama into Gotham. And as the depictions of Gotham are seemingly getting darker and darker, a more lighthearted vision could be exactly what Gotham needs.
Kate Herron
Kate Herron might not be as well known as some of the other visionary directors, and she doesn’t even have a single movie in her filmography. However, she did direct every single episode of Loki, which was essentially a film broken into six installments. Loki is an astonishing, visually beautiful sci-fi opera, and though Batman Beyond isn’t set in space, it is futuristic, colorful, and full of supernatural occurrences, so the movie would be in such safe hands with Herron.
And given that Loki dealt with the older and the younger versions of the same character, both of whom have very different ideologies and approaches to any given situation, Herron could bring to life a wonderful story about Terry and Bruce, who often lock horns.
Sam Raimi
Sam Raimi already almost directed a Batman movie, and the reason he created Darkman was that he ultimately didn’t get the offer to make a Batman film. However, he should be given another chance, especially considering his work on other superhero movies. Raimi directed the original Tobey Maguire-led Spider-Man movies, which are so entertainingly fast-paced.
Those Spidey movies are unpretentious too, as the portrayals of Green Goblin and Doc Ock are completely comic-book accurate despite how goofy-looking they are, and audiences were still totally along for the thrilling ride. Batman Beyond needs a director who can make goofy villains compelling and sympathetic, as the animated series features villains like The Royal Flush Gang, who dress like playing cards, and Spellbinder, who dresses like a spiral.
Lana Wachowski
Though the recently released The Matrix Resurrections divided fans, and critics were on the fence about the meta way it approaches the series, there were action sequences that proved Lana Wachowski is still one of the best amongst her peers. The Matrix can continue with a fifth movie, but as that seems to have run its course and Wachowski is one of the most innovative sci-fi directors of this generation, she could deliver the most jaw-dropping Batman Beyond movie ever.
The thought of seeing bullet time in a Batman Beyond movie is mouth-watering, as Terry could be gliding and zipping in between bullets. The filmmaker also shoots action sequences practically wherever possible, only using CGI when necessary. And as she has a close relationship with Warner Bros., all signs point to Wachowski being the perfect choice for director.
F. Gary Gray
F. Gary Gray is another filmmaker who is a director-for-hire in Hollywood. Though he doesn’t have the vision that Nolan does, and he probably wouldn’t be granted as much freedom by the studio, Gray is one of the most reliable directors working today. He always delivers the goods, and he definitely doesn’t get the credit he deserves.
Between The Fate of the Furious and Law Abiding Citizen, the filmmaker isn’t just great at shooting action scenes, but he can create incredibly long action sequences that are engaging the whole time. Gray knows how to make the action look fluid and graceful, and The Italian Job is the best example of that. That’s exactly the kind of action directing Warner Bros. should look for in a Batman Beyond director.
Alfonso Cuarón
Alfonso Cuarón has directed every kind of movie under the sun. From the stunning little love letter to his hometown in Mexico City, Roma, to the huge, awe-inspiring, lost-in-space movie, Gravity. And though Cuarón doesn’t seem like the type of filmmaker who would direct a blockbuster movie in a huge franchise, he helmed Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which is generally regarded as the best film in the series.
His Batman Beyond would undoubtedly be stylish and could even redefine what’s possible of a blockbuster movie, just like how Gravity did and how Children of Men did before that. Though Batman Beyond doesn’t have to be a genre-defining movie, Cuarón could deliver on fans’ expectations and more.
