DC Comics' Senior VP of
Creative Affairs, Gregory Noveck, discusses "Batman
Gotham Knight"
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.
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