James Marsters

When we last looked in on Bruce Timm, he explained how he not only had great talent around him while working for Warner Bros., but gained his own animation chops and philosophy under such great talents as Don Bluth, Gary Goldman, Ralph Bakshi and John Kricfalusi. The end result is a success streak now going on 15 years, almost unheard of in modern U.S. animation.

His big project now working is the DC direct-to-DVD series, the first being Superman: Doomsday, Justice League: New Frontier and Teen Titans: Judas Contract. Timm and crew made some formal announcements regarding the state of these projects at this year’s WonderCon (see ....).

Now it’s time to discuss the matter a little bit further:

Newsarama: So what is it like working on this series?

Bruce Timm: We definitely don’t have the same censorship issues we had when we were working for TV shows. I have to admit though, that we really worked with a lot of good people on that. They worked very closely with us to allow certain things because it was important to the story. We weren’t disemboweling people on TV.

NRAMA: But no Joker getting killed with a spear gun though.

BT: Right. But it is nice to not have some of the more nitpicky things that we had to deal with. There are just some restrictions that we had do deal with, that even with our best S&P (Standards & Practices-ED) people and we worked with a lot of good ones, that we just couldn’t ever do.

For instance, death is always a tricky thing. We weren’t often able actually kill people. Every single time it was always you had to make it plausible the guy didn’t die or he got away. He either jumped off a bridge or they never found the body. He could have been in a coma.

NRAMA: Or pull a Solomon Grundy.

BT: Yeah. He actually was dead. Otherwise it had to take place completely off stage and no one could actually say ‘He’s dead, Jim.’ There was always things like that, certain lines you couldn’t cross. So if there’s a story point now where it’s really, really important we can have a character to die or get killed, we don’t have to be too fancy about it. We can, quite bluntly, do it.

The same thing with the dialogue. Again, we don’t really need swear words to get a point across. Usually when we’re writing a scene, we say ‘Y’know the appropriate response for Batman would be to say ‘damn it!’,’ and you just can’t say that in programming. You just can’t do it.

Now we can actually do that and not get crucified for it. It’s nice to have that level of freedom.

NRAMA: Speaking of killing characters, the first one you’re doing is Superman: Doomsday. Now the final confrontation between Big Blue and that big green hulking character, pardon my French, was pretty darn bloody. Can you get away with as much blood and broken bones in the DVD as you could in the comic?

BT: Well....it won’t be as bloody as the original comic. For one thing, we found out that now Superman’s skin is totally invulnerable, at least according to DC Comics. We were going to have a lot more blood in there, they came back and said ‘You know, Superman’s skin is invulnerable. It can’t break.’ When we said it broke in the comics, they said ‘Well, that was ten years ago.’

What can you say but ‘OK. Whatever.”

But you know what? Even though these are technically going out under a PG-13 rating, probably, we are still very much aware that a big part of our audience is going to be 6-12 year olds. So, Doomsday isn’t going to be a blood bath. I just don’t think it’s going to be appropriate for superhero stuff anyway. You really don’t need characters wading knee deep in blood, although there will be a certain amount of bloodshed.

NRAMA: Now from what I understand, the length of Superman: Doomsday is about 75 minutes. Right?

BT: Yes.

NRAMA: And you are going to do the coming of Doomsday, the death of Superman, the period of mourning and the return of Superman ALL in that period?

BT: Yep.

NRAMA: That means there’s a ton of stripping out going down.

BT: Yes.

NRAMA: Do you have any of the Justice League characters showing up to take on Doomsday?

BT: No, and for a variety of reasons. The main reason is that’s not what the story is about. We needed to focus our story on the main characters. By having the Justice League show up, and again without spoiling the story, one of the reasons is once we have Superman dead, the story focuses on Lois, Jimmy and all the other characters of Metropolis that are especially close to him. Just talking in broad strokes, the people of Metropolis have over the years learned to rely on Superman. Whenever a threat showed up in Metropolis, Superman was always there. He became their big security blanket. Now that he’s gone, what does that mean? The point is if the Justice League were around, the people would have been reliant on them. They would be saying ‘We still got Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Batman and Wonder Woman to take care of us.’

Not only that, but we tried to treat this as if it was strictly a Superman movie. If you’re doing a Superman movie, you don’t talk about Batman or the Justice League. You don’t talk about people who are outside of the Superman mythos. You want to stay focussed on Superman himself and his world view.

That’s another reason why these are all stand-alones. They are not connected to each other. There is no overall continuity.

NRAMA: So what you are saying is what happens in Doomsday will not have much reflection on New Frontier or Judas Contract.

BT: Absolutely not.

NRAMA: But I understand Luthor is still involved, correct?

BT: Yep.

NRAMA: With a Supergirl of some variety there?

BT: No. It’s just the main Superman cast.

NRAMA: For the art direction, did you go back to the Superman series of 1996 or did you go another way?

BT: It’s a different direction. Again, we wanted to make every aspect of this production new and divorced from any other continuity we had from any other Superman or Batman series we had done. So we went with new cast, new designs, new backgrounds, new everything. Every step of the way it’s a reboot on every level.

NRAMA: Now one thing I remember is you loved using Clancy Brown as Lex Luthor. Now you’re using James Marsters. What was it about Marsters?

BT: Because we wanted to try something different. I love Clancy. I thought he was a brilliant Luthor. I also love him as a person. I think he’s a great guy and really hope to work with him again someday. But as magnificent as Clancy was, that’s not the only interpretation of Luthor out there. There are so many different ways you can go with that character.

With Superman, Lois and Jimmy, they are all a little bit more finite. There are only so many ways you can change them. But there have been a number of different variations on Luthor. We’ve done a bunch of them in our own shows. We had the corrupt tycoon, the mad scientist, the jailbird and then back again. We just wanted a different way of defining Luthor that wasn’t Gene Hackman, Clancy Brown or Michael Rosenbaum. So we came up with what we think is a unique new spin on him. Then we came up with a new design and cast James Marsters for the voice.

NRAMA: Then there’s Adam Baldwin as Superman. His voice is a little deeper and rockier than your previous choices.

BT: That’s the irony of it. When we were first casting for Superman: The Animated Series, we were looking for somebody with a more mature, Bud Collyer/George Reeves kind of voice, and we couldn’t find anybody. We auditioned a lot of guys who had deep voices, but they all sounded like radio announcers. Their acting chops weren’t there.

That’s why we ended up going with Tim Daly. Even though he wasn’t the voice we were hearing in our heads, we couldn’t deny he was a really good actor and we could see how he would fit. Over the years, I actually started to turn around. Tim Daly and George Newburn, who did him in Justice League, were in the Christopher Reeve mold, the more idealistic Superman.

NRAMA: The Kansas farmboy.

BT: Yeah. They’re not the Curt Swan drawings.

With this one being we were going back to scratch. Adam’s name came up and we had already worked with him a couple of times on Justice League. He’s a great guy and a really good actor, and he’s really that kind of guy we were originally looking for. He’s got that really deep, macho voice but he can also bring that vulnerability to it. He’s just not the stern father figure. So I ultimately got the Superman I was originally looking for way back in 1995.

NRAMA: Who’s doing the character design on Doomsday?

BT: Me. I designed most of the characters.

NRAMA: The backgrounds?

BT: Lots of different people.

NRAMA: Next is New Frontier, correct?

BT: Yeah.

NRAMA: That would seem a little more difficult to do, considering its ripped-from-the-headline style as well as its multiple points of view.

BT: The newspapers were mostly used as transition phases.

NRAMA: Was that motif maintained?

BT: A little bit. Not too much.

NRAMA: How is New Frontier shaping up?

BT: I think it’s going to be really, really good. If anything, it’s more of a challenge than the Death of Superman. It’s a really big story, not in terms of page count but it was easier to cut stuff out of the Superman storyline. In the Superman story there were many stories that were tangents. New Frontier even though it’s a big sprawling thing kind of does dovetail. There’s all these great bits throughout the entire novel that don’t initially seem to go anywhere, but ultimately lead up to the big finish.

I hated to do it but some of my favorite parts had to be cut out just to get that whole story down to the 70-minute length. Ultimately we managed to keep what we think is really important without throwing the baby out with the bath water. I was amazed that when I watched the animatic a little while ago. All I could think is ‘Wow! That’s New Frontier,’ and not just a Cliff Notes version of it.

NRAMA: There’s a lot of characters in New Frontier. Who are the primary characters?

BT: That was actually part of the problem of turning it into a movie. We had to find the focus of it. It’s not that hard to figure out in the end, Hal Jordan is the primary. He’s the guy who gets more focus than anybody else.

It’s an odd structure, because it’s not initially obvious that the story is about Hal. I jokingly say this but it’s true, it’s kind of structured like a Robert Altman movie. It’s got all these different stories happening at the same time. It’s only towards the end of the movie that you realize it’s dovetailing into the origins of the Justice League.

NRAMA: What’s it like trying to supervise something like this?

BT: Oh, it’s challenging. Again, I have really great people working on it. Everyone from Stan Berkowitz, who wrote the first few drafts of the script, to Darwyn Cooke, who polished up the final draft, to Micheal Goguen, who produced it and Dave Bullock, who directed it; they all just did a real good job of bringing the thing to life.

(ED NOTE: Voice cast includes Dave Boreanaz (Hal), Kyle McLauchlan (Superman), Neil Patrick Harris (Barry Allen), Brooke Shields (Carol Ferris), Phil Morris (King Farraday). Score by the late Shirley Walker).

NRAMA: So this is slated for like March, 2008?

BT: Yeah. Early next year, Spring ’08.

NRAMA: I’ve heard rumor that Judas Contract might not be the third. Is it still on schedule for being that?

BT: We hope so. We hope so. It really depends on which script we get to its final form.

NRAMA: So you also have some other scripts green lit?

BT: Well, not green lit yet. There are several things that are being developed at the same time. Judas Contract is one of them. It will either be the third or fourth of them. It will probably be the third one, the way I am thinking.

NRAMA: Can you name any other possibilities for the third?

BT: Not yet. It’s too early to say.

NRAMA: Usually with direct-to-DVD projects, the budgets are pretty tight. Is DC/Warners giving you enough to work with?

BT: Yes.

NRAMA: Well, you know, I’ve looked at some of the other direct-to-DVD products and have thought ‘Y’know, if they just had a little more money and/or time.’

BT: Time is always more of a factor than money. Honestly, time is the thing that trips you up. You never have enough time to do it right.

Put it this way. They always come out looking fine. I’m always proud of what I’ve done in the past. But you are always aware of the deadline and there’s always time where you would like to go back and finesse, but it all comes out in the end.

NRAMA: Who would you say are some of the other key people I haven’t asked about?

BT: For Doomsday there’s Brandon Vietti and Lauren Montgomery. With Doomsday I was much more hands on. I co-wrote it with Duane Caprizzi and then animated it with Brandon and Lauren. I oversaw all the art direction myself. Lauren and Brandon each had their own storyboard units working for them and did a lot of the storyboards themselves.

We kind of split the movie up three ways. Of course, I have final say on all of it. So I get to pull rank (laughs). But they’re all great people and all did great work. I can’t say enough good thing about them.

NRAMA: Now say this is a success. Do you see yourself working on DC superheroes for some time in the future?

BT: Definitely. We’re not going to run out of source material for any time soon.

NOW IT’S YOUR TURN...

OK. If you had had a shot at interviewing Bruce Timm, you’d have asked him something else. Well, here is your shot.

Warner Bros. Animation and Newsarama have set up this ONE TIME chance for you to ask Timm any question you want. The rules, and you know there are some, are as follows:

1) Nothing obscene, idiotic or insulting, please. 2) Keep it to the point. 3) Don’t ask for spoilers, you ain’t getting them. 4) Warner Bros. and Timm reserve the right not to answer a question if they don’t feel like it. 5) Timing: a) All you reading this column will get the first shot at asking Bruce Timm a question. b) A general posting will be put on Newsarama’s front page later this afternoon. c) The general deadline for the questions will be Wednesday, March 21st at 3:00pm, EST. d) The questions will be shipped to Warners on Friday, March 23. e) Bruce should get the answers back to us in approximately one week. f) We will then post the answers when we get them back.

So fire away. Post your questions as replies to this column and we’ll take it from there.

BURNETT SUES FAMILY GUY

Some people can dish it out, but they sure can’t appear to take it.

Carol Burnett is suing Seth McFarlane’s show Family Guy over the use of one of her character the Charwoman in one of the series’ episodes. Originally airing in 2005, the episode has Peter Griffin and his buddies walking into a porno shop. The Charwoman is found in the back of her shop quietly cleaning it. While a parody of the old Burnett Show theme plays in the background, the Charwoman looks into the audience and pulls her ear, a gesture the comedian used at the end of her old variety show. According to the AP, the bit lasted a total of 18 seconds.

In the suit, Burnett alleges that Family Guy violated her publicity rights.

“Family Guy, like The Carol Burnett Show, is famous for its pop culture parodies and satirical jabs at celebrities,” Fox spokesperson Chris Alexander told the AP. “We are surprised that Ms. Burnett, who has made a career of spoofing others in television, would go so far as to sue Family Guy for a simple bit of comedy.”

CLASSIC ANNOUNCES SOME PLANS FOR GUMBY’S 50TH

As previously announced, Gumby made his television on August 13, 1956 in a basement studio on NBC’s Howdy Doody Show (the same day a certain animation reporter made his debut in a basement apartment in Queens). As it turns out, the little green guy (not me!) then went on to his own show on March 16, 1957.

Classic Media, who handles Gumby’s rights for creator Art Clokey, launched a special 50th Anniversary episode on YouTube at the DMGI channel http://www.youtube.com/dmgivideo.

Classic also announced that all 200-plus previous episodes of the series will also be digitized and streamed through DMGI. All episodes were restored to their original 11-minute lengths and have been supervised by Joe Clokey, son of the now venerable Art.

“For 50 years, Gumby with his innate goodness and eternal optimism inspired us to look at the bright side of life,” said Joe. “His imaginative and creative adventures have always struck a chord with us. Gumby’s digital launch is the perfect way to give the gift of these stories to today’s audience and help inspire generations to come.”

Classic also announced it will be reissuing 1995’s The Gumby Movie on DVD this April, with a full collection of Clayboy cartoons later this year.

CN RENEWS MAR & PRINCE OF TENNIS

Viz Media announced that Cartoon Network has renewed its deal with the shows Mar and Prince of Tennis. Both are popular on Toonami’s block of programming, seen nationwide on Saturday nights. New episodes of Tennis air at 10:00 pm and Mar immediately follows at 10:30 pm.

No announcements were made as two when the second seasons of both series will begin.