This is how I’d cast it…

My Pitch

So my pitch would be like a thriller. Young Terry McGinnis saves Dick Grayson’s life somehow and in return gets a job at Wayne Enterprises. They start building a bond, and of course, McGinnis’ family gets killed somehow and Grayson takes him in. AND OF COURSE, McGinnis is driven by revenge, but eventually Grayson (who is more spiritual and less vigilant than his mentor) teaches him how to find peace, and ultimately introduces him to his mentor, a now reclusive elderly Bruce Wayne. Of course, a series of murders and crimes happen giving clues as to draw out the legendary Batman, the people behind the crimes suggesting that Batman is still alive. This is where it becomes like a thriller because it’ll be like Se7en.

So, once old Bruce learns of these crimes, he is reluctant but enlists Terry McGinnis as the new Batman to investigate. Terry has to do all sorts of detective work like going around town asking questions, going in disguise, talking to police (Jim and Barb Gordon), etc. He eventually saves a kidnapped child, a boy, under hostage. Kid’s name is Damian. Last name is unknown. Turns out to be an orphan, no history, no family. Course, Jim and Barb take him in. Meanwhile, Dick is talking to Riddler, who’s holed up in Arkham. He’s like a Hannibal Lecter character that throws out clues. Jim gets killed. Of course, all clues point to Joker, but he’ll be the red herring. Joker gets killed eventually by, gasp, an adult Damian. This needs to happen when Bruce, Dick, and Terry are in the same room as Joker. And Damian reveals that he is the son of Ras Al Ghul… aka Bruce Wayne. Damian is the spawn of Bruce and the Lazarus Pit, unexplained supernatural gimmick event, who ages rapidly. Damian admits he killed Jim when they witnessed him age.

Cut to young Bruce as the new Ras Al Ghul, the twist being that he’s not an “evil” terrorist, but rather a leader of “vigilantes”. Damian wants to kill his originator, Bruce. Dick and Terry fight Damian, but Dick gets hurt severly. Terry and Damian fight to the death. Yadda-yadda-yadda, Terry defeats Damian.

Cut to Bruce and crew at Lazarus Pit, they destroy it. Cut to Bruce on death bed, Dick and Terry by his side, Bruce gives them words of wisdom about being Batman. Cut to Dick and Barbara in Batcave, talking on mics. Cut to Terry in a new Batsuit, perched on gargoyle in front of giant moon, talking to BatHQ. Cut to family getting mugged in street, a boy and his parents. Terry goes, “Showtime.” Like a ninja, leaps toward the camera, freeze-frame when he’s mid-air in a Spider-man pose, cut to black. Cue generic rock music. And that’s Batman Beyond.

And if there requires something after the credits, in black and white, in the 1940s, it’d be Jon Hamm sitting in a chair in his robe, by a window and a bat comes crashing through it. He gets up and walks up to the shattered glass, a shadow cast on the upperhalf of his face. Cut to bat, bloodied, flapping wings on carpet. Cut to Psycho shot of Wayne in window, moon in background, lightning bolt crackles, it begins to rain. Fade to black.

Gimme my Oscar now.