In theaters nationwide June 15, Batman Begins is the love letter to Bob Kane and Bill Finger's realistic pulp hero fanboys around the world have always dreamed of. Sufficiently gritty and action-packed with an all-star cast rivaling 1978's Superman: The Movie, Batman Begins is poised to challenge Star Wars and Spielberg and Cruise's War of the Worlds for box office supremacy in summer of 2005.

Michael E. Uslan executive produced Tim Burton's breakthrough 1989 vision of the caped crusader for Warner Brothers as well as the subsequent sequels including the current film starring Christian Bale and directed by Christopher Nolan (Momento, Insomnia). Buzzscope editor Joe D. poised the following questions to Mr. Uslan, a lifelong comics fan, regarding the Dark Knight's latest cinematic undertaking, his love of the comics medium, and his career in Hollywood. Enjoy...then go out and see Batman Begins again!

Joe D.: What's your own personal favorite Batman story? From either the movies, TV shows, animated series or comics?

Michael Uslan: Without a doubt, NIGHT OF THE STALKER from Detective Comics number 439 is my favorite Batman story. Some of my other favorites include NIGHT OF THE REAPER, Ras Al Ghul's first arc by Denny and Neal, the classic ROBIN DIES AT DAWN, BATMAN MEETS THE SHADOW, the entire Rogers/Engelhart run and of course BATMAN number 1 simply because it contained the first appearances of The Joker and Catwoman!

Which actor who's portrayed Batman is your personal favorite?

Uslan: It's not about who plays Batman, but about who plays Bruce Wayne. Michael Keaton was essential to the revolutionary approach in the first BATMAN movie. If you believe in Bruce Wayne, you believe in Batman. Michael was someone audiences could BELIEVE would get dressed up as a bat and fight crime. That suspension of disbelief was critical to them accepting a dark, serious comic book super-hero movie. Now, with audiences accepting the concept of a dark, serious Batman, Christian Bale is the perfect Bruce Wayne...intense, driven, consumed, and most importantly, real and believable.

What are your thoughts on a possible Batman/Superman crossover in the future? Is it likely?

Uslan: Because of the two characters' long history in the comics, it should be a natural progression, but only after each character and his respective mythology is fully re-established on his own.

Do you own any special, one of a kind Batman props or memorabilia fanboys worldwide would be envious of?

Uslan: Some of my original Bob Kane art still gives me goose bumps when I look at it! Also, I have a photo of Jack Nicholson from THE SHINING that I doctored using whiteout and magic markers to make look like the Joker, which was used when first deciding on who to cast as the Clown Prince of Crime. From the first movie, I have some very rare Gotham City Tri-Centennial T-shirts that were to have been used in the opening sequence and the parade sequence. Then, it was decided it would be the bi-centennial of Gotham, not the tri-centennial, and the shirts were changed. If you look carefully in either scene, you'll spy some people with the t-shirts.

What were your favorite comics growing up?

BATMAN, obviously! But I also loved the Julie Schwartz stable of characters…The Spectre, Hawkman, Adam Strange, JLA, and, the Dr. Fate & Hourman/Starman & Black Canary team-ups. I also loved Enemy Ace and "The War That Time Forgot" (especially the ones drawn by Neal Adams), Joe Kubert's Tarzan, THUNDER AGENTS, Harvey Comics' reprints of THE SPIRIT and Fighting American. From Marvel, the early X-Men, and the Stan Lee/Steve Ditko stuff (Spidey and Dr. Strange) and the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby FF. From the Golden Age, I loved getting my hands on any old Fawcett Captain Marvel material.

You've produced several comic-related films. Why do you find the genre so appealing?

Uslan: Comic books are our modern mythology. The Greek, Roman, and Norse gods still live, only today they're clad in capes and spandex. Stories of good versus evil have existed throughout the entire history of mankind and the comic book has always been a wonderful medium to tell those stories using both words and pictures. They appeal to the imagination, to the heart and to the soul.

Is it easier to get studios interested in comic related films? And how has it changed over the last few years considering the success of Spiderman, etc.

Uslan: There's been a sea change in regard to studios' opinions of the comic book. It's no longer perceived as a genre or a fad. They realize now that with films like ROAD TO PERDITION, CONSTANTINE, and MEN IN BLACK that the comic book is a valuable resource beyond just the superhero genre. The studios now view the comic book as an on-going potential source material for great films just as novels or plays.

What can you tell us about the progress of the Shazam movie?

Uslan: We're making great strides with the SHAZAM movie and honing in on a story that will be fun and appealing to the widest possible audience without alienating the generations of fans of the material. As soon as we have the screenplay locked, you'll be hearing about it.

Are there any other characters you'd like to bring to the big screen?

Uslan: We should have a big announcement about this later this summer.

Can you tell us a little about your early days in the industry as a production attorney working on classics such as Raging Bull and Apocalypse Now?

Uslan: As a motion picture attorney at United Artists, I was able to learn many different aspects of the film industry and develop the fundamental skills I would need to go out into the world as an independent producer. I was fortunate to cut my teeth on films like RAGING BULL, ROCKY, BLACK STALLION and APOCALYPSE NOW and learn what it took to put together a studio picture from financing to the soundtrack and merchandising deals.

How did you make the transition into producing?

Uslan: I had spent four years at UA, which I compare to going through four years of graduate school. It gave me the experience, background and key contacts I needed to take the next big step in my career. After meeting the legendary Ben Melniker, who became my mentor and partner, I was able to move over to the producing side of the business. Ben, known in his day as "The MGM Lion", had all divisions of the studio reporting to him. He chaired MGM's film selection committee, and put together the deals for BEN-HUR, DR. ZHIVAGO, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, and GIGI and the great MGM musicals in the days that studio was the Tiffany of the business.

What's been your greatest achievement as a producer?

Uslan: The first Tim Burton movie was a literal dream come true for me. I had spent 14 years in my quest to bring a dark, serious version of Batman to the big screen…10 years from the time Ben and I acquired the rights. Two geniuses, Tim Burton and my friend, Anton Furst (who designed the entire look of the first film), deserve all the credit for that. Equal to that is the completion of BATMAN BEGINS, which continues my original quest thanks to my movie-god, Chris Nolan and the talented David Goyer.

Does your company hear pitches for comic properties? Could an independent creator, producer or artist approach you with an idea either directly or via an entertainment lawyer or agent?

Uslan: Fortunately for us, we have enough properties now in development to take care of our movie slate for the next four years. We don't want to be like a big studio with hundreds of projects in development hell. We want to be able to focus all our attention on about a dozen great comic book projects we're now working on.

 

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Don't miss the rest of Buzzscope's Batman Begins coverage:
· Interview with Michael Uslan (Executive Producer of Batman Begins)
· Batman Begins movie review by Sandy Collora (Director of Batman: Dead End)
· Batman Begins: Official Movie Adaptation review