The World’s Finest presents the latest in a series of studio-conducted interviews, provided by Warner Home Video, for the Batman: Under the Red Hood direct-to-video animated feature. Continue reading below for the latest installment featuring writer Judd Winick.

Judd Winick has returned to Gotham City with a vengeance. The award-winning cartoonist has successfully transitioned one of his benchmark storylines from comic book pages to animated film with the upcoming release of Batman: Under the Red Hood, the latest entry in the popular series of DC Universe Animated Original Movies.

Born and raised on Long Island, New York, the University of Michigan graduate gained national fame as a cast member of MTVs The Real World, San Francisco in 1994. In the wake of the death of his Real World roommate and friend, AIDS activist Pedro Zamora, Winick embarked on a national AIDS education lecture tour. Later, the lecture and his friendship with Zamora was documented in his award-winning graphic novel Pedro And Me.

Winick next created his original comic book series, Adventures of Barry Ween, Boy Genius, and then began a long running stint as one of the top writers on mainstream super hero comics. Winick has scripted such titles as Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, Trials Shazam, Green Arrow and Outsiders (for DC Comics), Exiles (for Marvel) and Star Wars (for Dark Horse). He also was the creator and executive producer of Cartoon Networks animated series The Life and Times of Juniper Lee.

He is currently developing live action television and animation, writing the new bi-weekly comic title for DC Comics Justice League: Generation Lost, as well as the monthly Power Girl.

In 2005, Winick presented his Red Hood storyline in the Batman comics and it was met with tremendous sales alongside powerful waves of controversy. He has evolved that story into the script for the all-new DC Universe film, Batman: Under the Red Hood. In celebration of the films July 27 street date, DC Comics will distribute a six-issue mini-series, Red Hood: The Lost Days. Written by Winick and drawn by Pablo Raimondi, the mini-series offers greater insight into the back story of the title character.

From the producing triumvirate of Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation, Batman: Under the Red Hood will be distributed by Warner Home Video as a Special Edition version on Blu-Ray and 2-disc DVD, as well as being available on single disc DVD, On Demand and for Download.

Winick is thrilled with the way his words have transitioned from comic/graphic novel to screenplay to animated film in the form of Batman: Under the Red Hood, and is only too happy to talk about the end result. Here are some of his thoughts

QUESTION: What was the greatest challenge in taking your graphic novel to script format?

JUDD WINICK: I had to take two years of story and boil it down to 75 minutes of film, and thats a challenge and liberating at the same time. It forces one to cut out all the fat and get to the heart of it. Its about making a movie. And for those who know anything about movies, its about putting one foot in front of the other, building from one scene to the next to the next and so on. There are no cul-de-sacs or crossovers its all about getting the story to its essence.

QUESTION: Were you disappointed with what you needed to cut out?

JUDD WINICK: Actually, I was thrilled about what went in. Im really, really happy that the emotional core of the story is still there. We dont really get to tell stories like this in animation. The opera of it all is usually reserved for live action. This story is about characters actually emoting and dealing with horrible situations. Animation usually gets just the action and the visualization, and not the characters actually feeling anything. So it was nice we got to do that.

QUESTION: Can you describe the gratification of watching your words come to animated life?

JUDD WINICK: Its great. And I dont mean to take anything away from writing for comics, as this is just a different form of story telling. One of the fun parts of writing for film is that it allows you the freedom for your characters to just shut up and fight. We cant do that in comics there always has to be some banter or internal monologue. More importantly, its gratifying to see the words and action come to life in all the ways film affords through incredibly talented actors giving the words all that emotional impact; and to see the characters actually fight and run and yell and shout and cry. They become living, breathing beings. Thats a very exhilarating experience for a writer.

QUESTION: Do the voices of Bruce Greenwood, Jensen Ackles, Neil Patrick Harris and John DiMaggio match what you had in your head while writing the dialogue?

JUDD WINICK: Ive been writing these characters for years, and its remarkable the job those actors did. Greenwood is about as Batman as you can get which is exactly what you want. You dont want to be surprised as soon as he speaks, you want to say to yourself, Thats Batman. Nightwing is exactly as Ive had him in my head Neil Patrick Harris couldnt possibly do it better. Id like to do an entire feature with Bruce Greenwood as Batman and Neil Patrick Harris as Nightwing.

Red Hood is funny for me because I thought Id written this character in this incarnation more than anyone else, but I had no clue what hed really sound like. And yet, when Jensen speaks, thats the right tone and timbre. As far as Joker, that is one of the truly great characters that I think needs to be left up to interpretation. Theres only been a handful of people who have created Joker Mark Hamill set the standard for animation, then youve got Jack (Nicholson) and Heath Ledger. But John (DiMaggio) has such versatility, he could go anywhere with it, and he made it totally his own. He really gives a very big and gruff and masculine performance, so deep and throaty and bass. Hes wonderfully scary and really gets the job done.

Wade Williams as Black Mask absolutely cracks me up. Hes like a lion. Honestly, what came out in the animation came directly out of his performance. Wade made him into a caged animal who might go off at any second. Hes constantly roaring, which is an entirely different take than I anticipated and thats awesome. Thats an actor making decisions and making it his own and really hitting the mark.

QUESTION: Executive Producer Bruce Timm says your pitch was unorthodox in that it was over the phone and yet was absolutely perfect and completely sold him. Howd you pull that off?

JUDD WINICK: Id given a rougher pitch to Gregory Noveck (DC Comicss Senior Vice President of Creative Affairs) and he loved it, but we had to pitch it to the gang. The schedule worked out that I had to be in San Francisco, and they had to be in Burbank. Thats not the ideal way to pitch, especially for me I like to jump around a lot, shout a lot, wave my hands and be theatrical. Thats especially true for this pitch because its a very emotional script. I kind of sold the idea in the first five minutes of the pitch, which was essentially describing the first five minutes of the movie.

I thought this would be a cool animated feature, but to really tell this story, we had to find a way to show Robin dying. We had to get the history in quickly to start the movie with that emotional smack. So Im on my head set, going through this scene, talking about Batman barreling down the street of Sarajevo, the Joker beating Robin to death,. Im banging my hands on the desk, yelling as loud as I can, and by the time I said Fade to black, cue to opening credits, it was just dead quiet on the other end of the line. I said, Is everybody still there? And they said, Yeah, that was awesome. Done. Sold.

QUESTION: How did you first enter the Batcave as a fan?

JUDD WINICK: Like many people of my age, Im sure I was reading the comics but I remember watching the TV series more and not really liking it. It didnt quite feel right. I know I enjoyed it more like watching Super Friends, but I really gravitated toward the comics more than anything. The series wasnt dark enough. It didnt have the edge I wanted in my Batman. Ultimately, the TV show gave me a sense of what I didnt want Batman to be, even back then.

QUESTION: For The Real World fans out there do you have any inclination to do another reality show?

JUDD WINICK: I would say NEVER. Laughs. Doing reality was like elective surgery. I got the nose job, it worked out just fine. I dont need a touch up, and I dont need another one. When they started to do the follow-ups, we just kept saying No until they stopped asking us. We have jobs and responsibilities and really dont need the money or the humiliation. And most importantly, we had a fairly extraordinary and terrible experience during the show and still came out positively. We are very lucky in that way, and I would not assume to tempt fate and do anything like it again.

QUESTION: Do you feel Batman: Under the Red Hood fits into Batmans current live-action film tone?

JUDD WINICK: Id say Christopher Nolans The Dark Knight was sort of the catalyst. After seeing that film, it got my juices going thinking that we could do something like that with a Red Hood arc. At the time, I didnt even know what Warner Premiere was working on. It all started with a quick email to Gregory (Noveck) asking if they were looking for any more Batman features. Comics and film present very specific camps for the characters and the stories. Animation should be its own genre that straddles between the two that can give comic fans the product their hoping to see, and provide a new vision for the fans who only know these characters in the most mainstream way.

QUESTION: Do you like presenting your stories in animated form?

JUDD WINICK: I really do. Im a cartoonist. I dont draw for money, and mostly what I do is the writing. But thats how I view myself more than anything else as a cartoonist. I grew up on animation, and I always loved knowing that the cartoons on the page could actually come to life. I worshipped at the alter of Chuck Jones, and realized at a very young age that one guy did all the things I love best. I love it as a medium and I love how its evolved. Animation features have exploded there is more high-end animation being produced now than ever before, and I think thats great.

Suggested captions for attached images:

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Judd Winick has adapted his own comic book series into the screenplay for Batman: Under the Red Hood, the next DC Universe animated original movie. The film will be distributed July 27, 2010 by Warner Home Video.

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Batman holds a lifeless Robin in one of the emotionally charged opening scenes of Batman: Under the Red Hood, the next DC Universe animated original movie. The film will be distributed July 27, 2010 by Warner Home Video.

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The Joker pushes the boundaries of violence and cruelty in Batman: Under the Red Hood, the next DC Universe animated original movie. The film will be distributed July 27, 2010 by Warner Home Video.

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Part vigilante and part crime lord, Red Hood stays one step ahead of his foes in Batman: Under the Red Hood, the next DC Universe animated original movie. The film will be distributed July 27, 2010 by Warner Home Video.

For more information, images and updates, please visit the films official website at www.BatmanRedHood.com.

Click here to view the trailer for the upcoming Batman: Under the Red Hood direct-to-video animated feature.

A co-production of Warner Premiere, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation, the direct-to-video Batman: Under the Red Hood animated feature debuts July 27th, 2010 on DVD and Blu-ray disc from Warner Home Video. Stay tuned for further updates here soon at The Worlds Finest.

Discuss this in The DC Animation Forum!

Included in every DC Comics publication, the “DC Nation” column focused this week on the upcoming Batman: Under the Red Hood direct-to-video animated feature. The “DC Nation” column focuses on upcoming events coming from DC Comics and DC Entertainment, and is included in every DC Comics publication with a new focus every week. Click on the thumbnail below for a look at the “DC Nation” coverage of Batman: Under the Red Hood.

A co-production of Warner Premiere, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation, the direct-to-video Batman: Under the Red Hood animated feature debuts July 27th, 2010 on DVD and Blu-ray disc from Warner Home Video. Stay tuned for further updates here soon at The Worlds Finest.

Discuss this in The DC Animation Forum!