Three stories appeared in today’s Montreal Gazette which are of interest to fandom:
- The Evolution of Batman
- Overreaction to casting of Pattinson may be premature, given Keaton history
- Thrones actor no longer strongest man
THE EVOLUTION OF BATMAN
Tim Burton’s film about crime fighter changed the superhero landscape
Michael E. Uslan was a wideeyed, 28-year-old comics fan when he improbably scooped up the film rights to a character Hollywood had kicked to the curb. Brimming with belief, he bought Batman. Problem was, no one else in town was buying.
It was the late ’70s, the era of The Deer Hunter and Apocalypse Now, when Uslan, a comics scholar turned aspiring producer, pitched the major studios on his idea for a Bat-project. He was met with rejection after rejection. One industry executive told him Batman was “as dead as the dodo.”
“It can’t be comprehended today,” Uslan says. “There was no respect for superheroes or their creators.”
The film industry, like much of society at large, still viewed comic books as simply kid stuff. But Uslan saw a path forward: “If we do it as a dark and serious movie, it will almost be like a brand new form of entertainment.”
