4. Batman: Beyond (2002)
In the mean time, Warner were pursuing other options as well, and one that they took particularly seriously was a live-action adaptation of the superb animated series Batman Beyond, which was to be written by the show’s creators, Paul Dini and Alan Burnett, giving it an additional stamp of authenticity.
Warner went as far in the summer of 2000 as to publicly announce that they were in the process of putting this together, a risky move that nevertheless suggested an unflappable confidence moving forward.
So, what happened? By the time a script landed on their laps a year later, though, Warner were busy salivating over the possibilities of Batman: Year One, and so put Batman Beyond on the back burner, a sure demonstration of just how fickle both the company and the film industry in general can be.
The aesthetic and style of the animated series would have made this a unique Batman take if nothing else, and with the original writers on board, it certainly had a lot of potential.
