Batman Beyond to Return in DC Nation Short, Animated Movie Being Considered

Not long ago, there was briefly a rumor floating around on the Internet that Warner Bros. hoped to avoid a conflict with director Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy in the next Batman film by making it Batman Beyond, and thereby making the next Batman Terry McGinnis. Nothing came of those rumors, but it now appears as though Terry is on his way to getting back on the map. In addition to being the subject of an ongoing digital-first comics series by acclaimed Nightwing writer Kyle Higgins, Bruce Timm revealed today at New York Comic Con that the character will be returning soon in one of the one-minute digital shorts that run during Cartoon Network's DC Nation block. The short, which will be produced by Bruce Timm and Eisner-winning cartoonist Darwyn Cooke, who did the opening credits for the original show, will debut in 2014 as part of the 75th anniversary celebration for Batman. That came out during the Superman 75th Anniversary panel this morning, but this evening one of the panelists at DC's Justice League: War animated movie panel said that Timm "may have an idea for a Batman Beyond animated feature," which would put the character back on Warner Bros. Animation's radar for the first time in years. Played by TV and animation veteran Will Friedle, Batman Beyond was Terry McGinnis, a young, high-tech heir to Batman's name and role who worked with an aging Bruce Wayne sidelined by a lifetime of combat-related injuries. The series ran from 1999-2001, following the success of Batman: The Animated Series.