The American producer Michael Uslan, who has made “Batman” movies and has spoken at TED, has talked about his journey to bring Batman to the big screen and his trip to India.
Michael talked about his journey with the iconic character and the 10 years of rejections he had to deal with when he was the only one who could talk to him.
He said, “It was a test of human endurance. It took 10 years from the time I raised money privately and bought the rights to Batman from DC Comics so I could make dark and serious movies to the time we were able to make our first movie in 1989.”
“I was shocked to find out that every single studio and big production company in Hollywood had turned me down. People told me I was crazy and that it was the worst idea they had ever heard. They said you can’t make dark superhero movies, serious comic book movies, or movies based on old TV shows that have never been made “the director went on.
He said more about how he rediscovered the character: “Batman is very unique. Batman is a superhero with no superpowers. His greatest superpower, I think, is his humanity. Because of that, people all over the world can identify with Batman, can project themselves, their own philosophy, and their own politics onto Batman. It’s an amazing story in that way, because very few characters are able to go beyond borders and cultures.”
Then, when Michael was asked who played Batman best in his opinion, he said that it would be like picking his favourite child.
“You won’t get a straight answer, but I will say a few things. The first dark and serious comic book superhero movie could not have been made without Michael Keaton, and that was Tim Burton’s idea as the director. He knew he needed someone to play Bruce Wayne, who was more important than Batman. He also knew that Michael Keaton could make people who had never read the comics believe that a guy like him could dress up as a bat and fight crime, which was important for the first movie “When he talked about the first “Batman” movie, which came out in 1989, he said.
Michael also talked about how Christian Bale and Robert Pattinson played the Dark Knight “I think Christian Bale does a great job of playing Bruce Wayne for every generation. He is dealing with PTSD and is on a journey of self-discovery, and I think he is very good at it. Robert Pattinson is now playing a young Bruce Wayne, who is just starting out as Batman. He is still making mistakes and getting hurt, and he is on his way to becoming the Dark Night one day.”
He also said, when asked about his first trip to India, “David, our son, went to India many years ago and told us all about it. I like to learn about other cultures, and India has always called to me.”
“We just never had the chance to come to India before this lovely invitation. I travel a lot for work, and I have to be wherever the next movie is, so we just never had the chance. We’ve loved every minute of our time here. We’ve met new people, and now we feel more like family than business partners. I feel safe and at home here, and the food is the best in the world. I thought Indian food was available in the United States, but this was the best I’ve ever had.”
He went on to say, “I was lucky enough to be able to speak at the United Nations three times with people from all the different Middle Eastern countries. We all found that even though politicians and the media keep telling us about our differences, the things that bring us together are pop culture, movies, TV comics, books, and animations. This is amazing.”