Batman Beyond star Will Friedle has addressed the possibility of reprising the role of Terry McGinnis in a potential continuation of the hit animated show. Terry McGinnis was introduced in the series as a teenager who took on the mantle of Batman, after an aging Bruce Wayne has retired from his vigilante activites.
The Boy Meets World vet has portrayed the character in all three seasons of Batman Beyond from 1999-2001. He also voiced the hero in DC animated movies such as 2000’s Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, and 2024’s Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths.
Why won’t Will Friedle voice Batman Beyond again?
During a recent appearance at Animate Columbus, Friedle confirmed that he has no interest in voicing Terry McGinnis/Batman again in a potential revival of Batman Beyond, after the death of legendary Bruce Wayne/Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy in 2022. He explained that it doesn’t feel right for him to play the character again without Conroy.
“If you asked me that question three years ago, the answer would be, ‘Oh my god, yes,'” Friedle said. “Get me in front of the microphone right now.’ Now that Kevin’s gone, I don’t know if I could do it again. I think they would need to recast both roles. Being Terry and not having him answer as Bruce, I don’t think I could do it.”
In a previous interview in 2023, Star Wars vet Mark Hamill also shared the same sentiments as Friedle, revealing that he has also retired from voicing Joker. He stressed he could only play the character if Conroy was the one playing Batman.
“They would call and say, ‘They want you to do the Joker,’ and my only question was, ‘Is Kevin Batman?’ If they said yes, I would say, ‘I’m in.’ We were like partners. We were like Laurel and Hardy. Without Kevin there, there doesn’t seem to be a Batman for me,” Hamill said.
(Source: GalaxyCon)
