DC COMICS’ SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF CREATIVE AFFAIRS
GREGORY NOVECK DISCUSSES “BATMAN GOTHAM KNIGHT”
DC
Universe original animated movies are created by a unique collaboration
between four diverse units within the Warner Bros. family – Warner
Premiere, Warner Home Video, Warner Bros Animation and, the source of
the characters and many of the stories, DC Comics. Leading the charge
for the latter group is Gregory Noveck, Senior Vice President, Creative
Affairs for the iconic comics company, and credited as Executive in
Charge of Production for DC Comics on all of the DC Universe films.
Noveck was instrumental in launching “Batman Gotham Knight” into
production, guiding the team toward its original concept and recruiting
an amazing array of writing talent for the project. It proved to be a
most interesting production at every turn – including diverging from
many of the traditional processes to bridge the creativity between the
writers, the production team at Warner Bros. Animation and the directors
and animators at three individual studios in Japan.
As Noveck says, the end result is even more intriguing, inspiring and
visually stimulating – and he looks forward to witnessing the reaction
of Batman fans across the planet. His first opportunity will come at
Wizard World Chicago on June 28 when he moderates the panel following
the world premiere of “Batman Gotham Knight.”
“Batman Gotham Knight” will arrive July 8, 2008 on DVD and Blu-Ray disc,
and will also be available that day On Demand via digital cable and for
download through broadband sites.
Noveck explained the origins of “Batman Gotham Knight,” his sentiments
on the movie, and his thoughts on how it will be received by fans in a
short interview this week.
Question: How did this film originate, particularly in terms of
recruiting such a fantastic group of writers and animators?
Gregory
Noveck answers:
When we decided to make this film, we wanted to get the best Japanese
animators and the best Batman writers we could. David Goyer was an
obvious choice, having written “Batman Begins” and the story for “The
Dark Knight” and knowing Batman so well. Jordan Goldberg had worked with
the Nolans extensively on the films and was a natural to help us
conceive the story. Then we said, “Who has written some of the best
Batman comics?” and Brian Azzarello and Greg Rucka immediately came to
mind. We wanted a screenwriter with a gritty, realistic tone, and we
thought of Josh Olson, coming off an Academy Award nomination for “A
History of Violence.” And then we said, “Is there someone that has been
involved with Batman for a long time and never gotten the chance to
really go edgy with the character?” Alan Burnett was the easy call
there. Amazingly, everything fell into place. Everyone was our first
choice, everyone said yes, and we ended up with an awesome lineup.
Question: Do you have a favorite segment amongst the six?
Gregory Noveck answers:
All of the segments have a special appeal to me for different reasons –
from Greg Rucka’s Gotham Central aspect to Brian Azzarello showing us a
side of Batman we’ve never seen before, to Burnett’s showcase of
Deadshot. It’s all pretty dazzling. Conceptually, my favorite is
probably Josh Olson’s opening segment because you get the unique,
individual perception of Batman through the eyes of several people. The
entire movie is really about that theme – how Batman is viewed from
other perspectives – and that theme succeeds on many different levels.
Question: Does the final visual product match what you envisioned when
the film was initially discussed?
Gregory Noveck answers:
The look of the film ended up being something I couldn’t have imagined.
The idea was to bring in some of these really well known Japanese
animators, people who might have always wanted to work on Batman and
never had the opportunity, and just let them have at it. There were
certain limitations on what they could do – in terms of staying within
the styles. They couldn’t put him in red, not that they wanted to. But
what they did really exceeded anything beyond what I’d imagined. They
gave Batman so many new, different looks, and still kept him
recognizable as Batman, and that’s what we wanted.
The opening segment – and the very first Batman that audience will see
in the film – is a very good example of the limitlessness of the
animators’ creativity. To see that for the first time was strange, but
really cool. Not just his physical appearance as a shadow morphing into
the Batman, but when he turns toward the camera and gives that first
look, it really catches you. At first, it was strange to see – but when
you put it in the perspective of that image being seen through a kid’s
eyes, then it makes perfect sense. And that segment has grown to be the
most visually arresting. I like the Batman in Jordan Goldberg’s “Field
Test” segment because he reminds me of the G-Force/Battle of the Planets
cartoons when I was a kid. Batman has such a sleek, high-tech appearance
– I just love the look of him in that segment.
Question: You know the Batman and comics fans as well as anyone. How do
you think the fans will react to this Batman film?
Gregory Noveck answers:
I think fans will be enthralled with the film’s strong blend of
original, never-before-seen interpretations of Batman and some very
familiar aspects of the character. The visuals of this film are amazing,
particularly the unique perspectives of Batman and the detailed,
intriguing visions of Gotham City. At the same time, fan favorite Kevin
Conroy keeps Batman grounded in familiar territory with his renowned
voice – as does the inclusion of both villains like Scarecrow and Killer
Croc, and allies like Commissioner Gordon, Alfred, Lucius Fox and
Crispus Allen of Gotham Central fame. It’s a great mix and I think, from
the opening moments to the closing credits, fans will be blown away.
Interview and images provided by Warner Bros. Animation.
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