Batman Beyond Pilot 30 min.

Superhero Action Drama

Brandon Yost

Logline: In the year 2060, Batman has become old and unsure of his ability to protect Gotham.
He discovers Terry Mcginnis, a high school student, and passes on the mantle of Batman. Terry
must learn what it takes to become the Batman, all while dealing with the troubles of high
school.

One Paragraph Overview

Set in the future of 2060, the world of this futuristic Gotham consists of flying cars, and
advanced technology. Old age has begun to take its toll on Bruce Wayne and he has started to
realize that his days as Batman are numbered. Terry McGinnis is an athletic and rebellious high
school student that stands up for other kids, but mostly keeps to his tight group of friends. Terry
gets into an argument with his dad and storms out of his house in rebellion. He heads out and
later stumbles upon a gang attempting to steal from Bruce Wayne. Terry intervenes and they
fight off the gang together in a dark, brutal, and bloody action sequence. Bruce notices Terrys
athletic and acrobatic prowess and Terry is amazed, as hes never seen an old man put up such
a fight. In the aftermath, Bruce is exhausted in Wayne Manor and Terry accidently stumbles
upon the Batcave while Bruce is resting. Bruce decides that Terry is a perfect fit to carry on the
mantle of Batman.
Terry must learn to balance his normal life with his new task of learning what it takes to
be Batman. Meanwhile, Lex Luthor Jr, a wealthy businessman and closeted Joker worshipper
has arrived in Gotham city. Hes been taking over the gangs of Gotham, uniting them. His goal
is to pursue what the Joker never accomplished, killing Batman.

Character Breakdowns
Bruce Wayne: An elderly, wealthy billionaire. The world has taken a toll on him and he is no
longer capable of being Batman. Deals with the consequences of protecting Gotham for so
many years. He has various health issues, trauma, and PTSD.
Terry McGinnis: An athletic, acrobatic, rebellious 16-year-old high school student. Witty and
snarky. A good kid but slightly irresponsible. He makes fun of villains he fights, in contrast to the
previous Batmans brooding demeanor.
Dana Tan: Terrys girlfriend and love interest. She is an independent and confident individual.
She worries about Terry acting strangely. She doesnt know that Terry is Batman.
Maxine Gibson: She goes by Max. Shes a sarcastic and loyal person. Shes Terrys good
friend and learns of his secret identity. She often helps him, similar to Alfred helping the
previous Batman.
Lex Luthor Jr: Hes very unstable and has a lust for extreme violence. Incredibly wealthy and
has recently moved to Gotham in an attempt to secretly become the leader of organized crime.
Secretly obsessed with the Joker and has united almost every gang to create a new gang called
the Jokers in order to carry out his bidding. No one knows about his criminal activity.

Pilot Episode Synopsis

Batman is no longer a match for this futuristic Gotham but he is still doing the best he
can at his age. In a sloppy rescue attempt, Batman is forced to defend himself with the one
weapon he vowed to never use, a gun. A fight ensues and he has no choice but to pick up a
gun, and point it at his attacker. As his attacker runs away in fear, Bruce Wayne takes off his
mask, looks down at the gun in disappointment, and falls to his knees with tears in his eyes.
Bruce sees a flashback of the criminal pointing a gun at his mother and father. He has the
ultimate realization that he is no longer fit to be Batman and vows to never again put on the
mask.
Terry McGinnis comes home from a long day at highschool and is immediately greeted
by his father, concerned about his low grades. Terrys dad is understanding and patient, but
Terry takes offense, storming out of the house. He calls his girlfriend Dana and wants to hang
out with her instead of dealing with his problems. While walking to her house, he notices that a
group of gang members have been stealing and he starts to follow them secretly. He calls Dana
and apologizes, saying that something important has come up.
He follows the gang until they are outside of Wayne manor and notices that they are now
attempting to mug Bruce Wayne. Terry sees an elderly man surrounded by a group of gangsters
and decides to intervene. To his surprise, Bruce Wayne handles multiple attackers incredibly
easily. Terry does the same and this is equally surprising to Bruce. They fight off the gangsters
together in a brutal, and bloody fight sequence. After the fight, Bruce collapses to the ground,
exhausted. Terry carries him inside of Wayne Manor and while Bruce rests, Terry accidently
stumbles upon the Batcave. Once Terry has uncovered Bruces secret, he runs back home,
overwhelmed by what hes uncovered. Bruce wakes up with the entrance to the Batcave
opened, he knows that Terry has discovered his secret identity.
Meanwhile, Lex Luthor Jr has recently arrived in Gotham. LexCorp has already been
largely successful in Gotham but he has come to become successful in the criminal activities of
the city. His goal is to recreate the criminal empire that the Joker once had, and to fulfill the task
the Joker never completed, killing Batman. Hes absolutely obsessed with becoming the Joker.
Since his arrival, he has assumed leadership of almost every gang in Gotham and on this very
night, he has ordered a violent crime spree to happen in the name of the Jokers return.
Terry arrives home in the middle of the night and notices that his front door is wide open.
Confused, he enters his home and is shocked by what he sees. Bright green spray painted Js
cover the entire interior of his house. His father is lying dead on the table, covered in blood. A
joker card lays on his dead fathers chest. Terry yells and cries in despair and Bruce Wayne
enters the room. Bruce hugs Terry, attempting to shield him from the horror that took place in
the house. As Terry cries, Bruce knows that Batman is needed now, more than ever.

Conclusion
Since this is an adaptation of a popular cartoon, its important to highlight the key
differences between the two. The audience that used to love this show has grown and is now
actually in the 18-24 age group. This is why I am choosing to make this show much more dark
and adult than the cartoon it was based on. Also, the city of Gotham is meant to be disturbing
and gritty and the crime that takes place is going to reflect that. The show will not shy away from
human trafficking, drugs, and violence in order to create an emotional impact when necessary.
These problems will help create higher stakes and a greater sense of danger when Terry
eventually faces off against these issues. They also help the audience understand how life as
Batman has taken a toll on Bruce Wayne. A big difference between this show and the cartoon is
the villain. The villain in the cartoon is Derek Powers, who takes over Wayne Enterprises and
eventually becomes Blight, a radiation powered supervillain. I think a Joker worshipper is a
much more interesting villain and is much more fitted to this more adult universe. I kept the
scene with Batman picking up the gun because I felt like it was the most powerful scene in the
cartoon and this show couldnt be effective without it. In the cartoon, Bruce is very reluctant to
have Terry become Batman, but I changed it here because I think it works better when they
both need each other. Theres a symbiotic relationship between Bruce Wayne and Terry
McGinnis. Terry wants to get revenge on the gang that killed his Father, and Batman knows
hes no longer fit to stop the new Joker.