Comic-Con 2019: 'Batman Beyond' to be remastered for Blu-ray release as part of 20th-anniversary celebrations
Fans of ‘Batman Beyond' rejoice! At a reunion panel for the series at SDCC 2019, the cast and crew revealed that the hit futuristic animated series will be remastered for a Blu-ray release scheduled to arrive in stores October 29.
‘Batman Beyond’ follows a new, teenage Batman in a futuristic Gotham City under the tutelage of an older, retired Bruce Wayne. The animated television series was developed by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Alan Burnett and produced by Warner Bros. Animation in collaboration with DC Comics.
The series ran for three seasons between January 1999 and December 2001. The series also spawned a direct-to-video feature film titled 'Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker' in 2000. The series completed its 20th anniversary in 2019 and the cast and crew of the show celebrated with a reunion panel at San Diego Comic-Con.
The panel included voice actors Kevin Conroy and Will Friedle along with casting and dialogue director Andrea Romano and producers Bruce Timm and Glen Murakami. Director James Tucker and writers Bob Goodman and Stan Berkowitz were also part of the panel.
In the Gotham of the series set 50 years in the future, Bruce Wayne has given up crime-fighting. But the new Gotham needs a protector just as badly as its predecessor in our times so the mantle of Batman falls to high-school student Terry McGinnis.
The show starred the vocal talents of Friedle as Terry McGinnis, Conroy as Bruce Wayne, and Cree Summer as Maxine "Max" Gibson. The Blu-ray release will include all three seasons as well as 'Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker'.
The new limited edition box set will also include a chromed ‘Batman Beyond’ Funko Pop, new featurettes and lenticular art cards. All 52 episodes of the series are included, but only 41 could be fully remastered as the other 11 were irreparably damaged over the years.
In addition to the Blu-ray release, it was also announced that season 1 of ‘Batman Beyond’ will arrive on the DC Universe streaming service soon. Fans have been clamoring for a sequel series or feature film for a long time and rumors of a sequel crop up every few years.
Rumored projects have included a fourth season, a live-action movie starring Michael Keaton, and a fully-animated feature film; though none of those reported projects have actually taken off or been confirmed so far. It was hinted during the panel that a spin-off or sequel series might be considered if the Blu-ray release sells well.