Bruce Timm Talks Animated “Justice League: Crisis On Two Earths,” “The Spectre”
The World’s Finest presents the latest in a series of studio-conducted interviews, provided by Warner Home Video, for the upcoming Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths direct-to-video animated feature. Continue reading below for the latest installment featuring executive producer Bruce Timm.
Bruce Timm will be joined by filmmakers and cast members on Thursday night at The Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills for the West Coast Premiere of Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths. The premiere is presented by Warner Home Video, Newsarama and The Paley Center for Media. The screening will commence at 7:00 p.m.
Gina Torres, the seductively powerful voice of Superwoman, has joined the panel of filmmakers and cast members to follow the screening. Josh Keaton and Vanessa Marshall, the voices of Flash and Wonder Woman, respectively, will also be on hand to field questions. Filmmakers slated to attend are co-directors Lauren Montgomery and Sam Liu, dialogue/casting director Andrea Romano and screenwriter Dwayne McDuffie.
Fans in the Los Angeles area wishing to receive free tickets to the event must RSVP via email to justiceleagueLA@newsarama.com. Tickets will be distributed on a first come, first served basis, and fans are encouraged to arrive early to ensure good seating for the 7:00 p.m. screening and panel. Limited edition prizes will be awarded to select members of the audience during the Q&A panel session following the screening, including Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths script covers signed by the entire cast, autographed copies of the Blu-ray and DVD, and two mounted posters signed by Thursday nights panel.
Warner Home Video will distribute the full-length animated Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths on February 23rd as a Special Edition 2-disc version on DVD and Blu-Ray Hi-Def, as well as single disc DVD, and On Demand and Download.
Timm, the executive producer on Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, has been the creative force behind many of Warner Bros. Animations modern-day successes, elevating DC Comics canon of super heroes to new heights of animated popularity and introducing generations of new fans to the characters via landmark television series and made-for-DVD films. The latter task includes the creation of the current series of DC Universe animated original movies, which have drawn critical acclaim and further whetted the publics appetite for comic book entertainment. Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths is the seventh film in the ongoing DC Universe series.
And heres what Mr. Timm had to say
Question: What excites you about Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths?
Bruce Timm: In a weird kind of way, this is a return to my favorite show Justice League Unlimited. The original script was intended to be the bridge story between Justice League and Justice League Unlimited to explain how we went from seven heroes to more than 50 super heroes. We loved the story and the script, and it floated around here for years while we tried to figure out what to do with it it was considered for a comic, but fortunately that got shot down. Then we took a look at it and, with just a few slight tweaks, we jumped at the chance to make it a DC Universe movie.
Question: What sets it apart from the TV version of Justice League?
Bruce Timm: Its a very satisfying, grand scale adventure movie with a big cast of interesting, quirky characters. Its amazing how much it feels like a great episode of Justice League Unlimited as a big, epic film with slightly different visual stylings. Thats a good thing.
Question: Did this film present challenges that the first six DC Universe movies did not?
Bruce Timm: The biggest challenge, and this is kind of esoteric, was that we had to find the line between the original source material and making it feel like a stand-alone movie so anyone that didnt watch JLU could follow it. We really didnt have to tweak the script too much I think about 95 percent remains untouched. In terms of visual styling, we also wanted it to stand on its own and not necessarily as a continuation of the old show. We have this brilliant character designer Phil Bourassa who draws in a style similar to my own in terms of simplicity, but slightly different. So it doesnt look 180 degrees away from the old show, but it definitely feels unique.
Question: What are the benefits of having two directors on the same film?
Bruce Timm: The positive for Sam and Lauren is that having two directors lightens the workload, because its a big movie. They have similar strengths, and theyre both very good at what they do. Theyre both all around talented in terms of understanding story, acting, the emotional core of the story, and theyre both really good at directing big crazy action scenes. But theyre methodology is different. Sam thinks a lot, hes very analytical. Lauren is more intuitive about everything. I just kind of stayed out of it when they had disagreements fortunately I never had to be the tiebreaker, They just worked things out between the two of them.
Question: What are Dwayne McDuffies strengths?
Bruce Timm: Dwayne is really well-rounded as a writer he knows comics inside and out, he understands the lore, he knows what makes a good super hero story, and at the same time hes really good with character dynamics and conflict. Plus hes one of the best dialogue writers in the business.
Question: Of this fairly huge cast, do you have a favorite character?
Bruce Timm: In this story, its probably Owlman. Hes a fascinating character himself, but the dynamic with Superwoman is so messed up as a couple, and yet really appealing in a weird kind of way. Its a little similar to JLUs relationship between The Question and Huntress. Superwoman is this badass hot chick, and hes the quiet, brainy, nerd guy. Theyre an interesting, odd couple. Plus I loved both James (Woods) and Ginas (Torres) performances they were spot-on. The amazing thing is we like to get all the actors to record as an ensemble, but in this case it wasnt feasible, So they never met or performed together, but they totally mesh. Its such an interesting chemistry considering theyve never even met.
Question: Youve brought another all-star cast to this film. Anything fans dont know about the casting choices this time around?
Bruce Timm: Theres an interesting side note in that Vanessa Marshall, who plays Wonder Woman, came this close to playing the role in Justice League. We were down to the final two choices, and they were neck and neck. The thing about Vanessa is that she sounded perfect for Wonder Woman exactly what she should sound like. But Susan Eisenberg had this vulnerability. We thought it would be interesting to not play her to type, which ultimately played really well. When it came to casting for this movie, we thought, What if we go down the road not taken? So we opted for Vanessa in a full-length movie and she is great.
Question: Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths includes the premiere of the first “DC Showcase” animation short, The Spectre. How have the “DC Showcase” shorts changed your work day?
Bruce Timm: The “DC Showcase” is fun because it gives us an opportunity to play with characters that maybe dont have a broad enough marquee value to support their own movie. As much as I like Batman, Superman, etc., the more lower tier, offbeat characters are really fascinating to me. Its fun to mess around with others characters in the DC Universe. Super heroes are great, but its nice to do a change of pace, and thats a lot of what weve done here. The Spectre is a supernatural thriller,; Jonah Hex is a western, and so on. So the Showcase is giving us a chance to stretch different muscles.
Question: After taking a break from episodic TV for the past several years, are you enjoying a return to the short-form with the “DC Showcase”?
Bruce Timm: The interesting thing is these are really short form theyre half as long as a half-hour TV episode. So the story has to be really tight and condensed you have to cut away the fat, but it cant be just wall-to-wall action. It still has to be a story. Fortunately were working with some really great writers, and because of that, every time we roll tape on these shorts, they feel like youve watched a whole episode of something. Theres a clear beginning, middle and end a full story. So mission accomplished.
Question: What made Steve Niles the right guy to write The Spectre, and how did you lure him into writing an animated short?
Bruce Timm: Ive admired Steve Niles work for a long time and, honestly, it would have never occurred to me to approach him. That was Todd Caseys suggestion. He contacted Steve, and Steve was thrilled to get the assignment. Hes a big Michael Fleisher/Jim Aparo fan, and a big fan of The Spectre especially that 1970s era of the character. Steve is very into crime fiction and horror, so he was the perfect writer for it.
Question: Does The Spectre hold any special significance for you?
Bruce Timm: The Spectre was one of my favorite characters back in the 70s. Even by todays standards, those comics are pretty hard core, and they were written in 1974, I dont know how they got some of that stuff past the comic code. It was so different from any other comic on the stands. Its really dark, really nasty. The character is pretty easy to understand hes the dark avenger of the night, even more so than Batman. He punishes bad guys in horrible, horrible ways. Hes like the benign Freddie Krueger. Ive wanted to use The Spectre for a long, long time and we never had a opportunity to do it, and this was our chance to go hog wild with him.
Suggested captions for attached images:
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Batman attempts to save the Earth, er, Earths as he faces off with his evil doppleganger owlman in Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, the next DC Universe animated original movie. The film will be distributed February 23, 2010 by Warner Home Video.
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Owlman explains his nefarious plot to destroy all Earths with a devastating weapon in Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, the next DC Universe animated original movie. The film will be distributed February 23, 2010 by Warner Home Video.
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The Justice League makes its pitch to stand and fight the Crime Syndicate to an alternate Earths President Wilson in Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, the next DC Universe animated original movie. The film will be distributed February 23, 2010 by Warner Home Video.
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Continue to the Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths subsite here at The World’s Finest for further coverage and details on the upcoming Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths direct-to-video animated feature. Additionally, The Worlds Finest has published a review of the Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths animated feature, available here to view. A review of the Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths Blu-ray release is also available here to view.
The first animated short under the new “DC Showcase” banner, DC Showcase: The Spectre is a featured bonus extra on the upcoming home video release of the highly-anticipated direct-to-video Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths animated feature. A co-production of Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation, the direct-to-video Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths animated feature debuts February 23rd, 2010 on DVD and Blu-ray disc from Warner Home Video.
Stay tuned for further Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths updates, including exclusive content and an upcoming promotional contest, here at The World’s Finest.
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