It’s sad, but we all know that the Batman movie franchise is gonna get rebooted faster than you can say “Christopher Nolan”. Following the Man of Steel and the recent news of a Batman/Superman movie as the inevitable build up to a Justice League, it makes sense that DC and Warner will be looking to revive their biggest cash cow in his own franchise as quickly as possible.

But since the Dark Knight trilogy literally just hung up its cape and the next Superman film will (presumably) feature the Batman we all know and love, DC should be taking the Batman film franchise in a new, unexpected direction.

Cue Batman Beyond. A late 90s cartoon set in a futuristic, Orwellian Gotham City. Without going into too much detail, a young juvenile called Terry McGinnis stumbles across a long deserted batcave and a long since retired Bruce Wayne. Needless to say, Wayne ends up mentoring McGinnis and they fight all manner of futuristic nasties and corporate corruption.

It was fucking brilliant.

So as if the synopsis alone wasn’t enough to justify a movie, here are five reasons why DC and Warner should make it so.

Old Bruce Wayne

An embittered old man who was forced to give up his war on crime but is still an absolute don who does not take shit from anyone. On top of that, he has a cool bat hound called Ace. Just think of some of the old badasses of film that could own that role. Chuck Norris taking out gang members with a walking cane? Worth the ticket price alone.

Terry McGinnis

Like I said, if they reboot the franchise this soon, it needs to be as different as can be and Terry McGinnis is no Bruce Wayne. For a start he’s still in high school and has a family and girlfriend so right away there’s a new dynamic to work with. But even on an emotional level, McGinnis is a wisecracking, cocky Batman unlike Wayne’s calculated and silent Dark Knight.

Villains

Beyond rarely fell back on classic Batman villains and usually opted for original creations, most of which were awesome. There’s an entire gang of “Jokers”, an evil CEO with a skin condition (which is cooler than it sounds, I swear) and some weird Venom like lady. Of course, if they wanted it to tie in more with Wayne and his past they could give an old villain some futuristic twist.

Why Batman Quit

Because Bruce doesn’t just stop being Batman, he completely turns his back on everything he ever had to do with it. It would be interesting to see the events leading up to his retirement unfold (in the series he relied on a gun after having a senior moment, and was so disgusted with himself he quit). But maybe there could be something more on top of that, some great trauma or loss that was the catalyst for him giving up.

The Costume

One of the coolest costumes ever. Seriously. They’d barely need to change a thing to make this look viable in a live action movie. Please, God make it happen.

Or… just give us another series of Batman Beyond. Such a great show.