An Excerpt of ‘Batman’s Batman’ by Michael E. Uslan

Michael E. Uslan is a name that is well-known to hardcore Batman fans everywhere. But for the uninitiated or the casual fan, Michael is of note, because he was instrumental in bringing the Caped Crusader to the silver screen and it just so happens that Michael has penned a memoir about how he brought the Batman to the silver screen and we here at Nerds That Geek have an excerpt and more for Batman’s Batman for all of you to enjoy!

‘Batman’s Batman’ Excerpt

The secret origin of the title of this book, Batman’s Batman, comes from a true story, a portion of which I first recounted in my prior book. It goes like this:

Astounding and unthinkable as it may seem, as I notified you above, I bought the rights to Batman from DC Comics when I was still a kid in my twenties. From that moment until my Bat-partner, Ben Melniker, and I were able to get the first dark and serious Batman movie made took ten long, long years. In the process, we were turned down by every major studio in Hollywood. My two favorite rejections included the one East Coast head of pro- duction who told me in 1979 that Batman and Robin could never be successful as a movie because the then-recent film, Robin and Marian, didn’t do well. That was a story about an aging Robin Hood and Maid Marian starring Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn. His ap- parent reasoning (if you could even call it that) was that both films would have the word Robin in the title. The very last rejection we received came from the final major studio to whom I pitched a dark and serious Batman movie. The head of production there was a dap- per, silver-haired longtime exec. He and Ben had known each other for decades. I pitched my little heart out that afternoon, and at the end of it, he shook his head and with a “tsk, tsk,” told me that Batman would not be a successful movie because Columbia’s movie Annie didn’t do well. When I was so puzzled by his proclamation and asked him if he possibly was referring to that little red-headed girl who sings the song “Tomorrow,” he said, “That’s right.” Shaking my head in disbelief, I asked him what that possibly had to do with Bat- man. His reply was right out of that entire generation of adults who had been conned into believing comic books were corrupting their children and causing a massive post–World War II rise of juvenile delinquency in America: “Oh, come on, Michael! They’re both out of the ‘funny pages.’” At that moment, there was simply nothing left inside me and I began to scoop together the Batman comics and the copy of my sample screenplay for Return of the Batman and prepared to exit. That’s when he turned to his old pal.

“Ben,” he said thoughtfully, “you and I go back a long, long time. If you really want to do a Batman movie, we’ll consider doing it with you . . . but it has to be the funny, pot-bellied Batman with all those ‘Pows,’ ‘Zaps,’ and ‘Whams’ that audiences will remember and love.”

That’s when I, without any hesitation, said, “No way.”

The exec sat himself down right in front of me and leaned in with lines of experience furrowed in his forehead and a frown of frustration draping his chin. “Son,” he said, and I knew that anytime someone addressed me as “Son,” I was already in trouble. “Better to have a film than to have no film at all.”

And with only a split second of hesitation, I said, “No.”

That was it. Another “Pass” and the final Batman rejection from the last major studio. Ben and I found a parklike bench on the grassy grounds of the studio. I sat, despondent with my head bowed into my hands. That’s when sage Ben Melniker became a cross be- tween Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

“It’s quite ironic, Michael, that our final no . . . came from you. You know what that makes you?” he gently asked.

“Yeah, Ben, I know. It makes me an idiot,” I replied with something just short of disgust. “No,” he countered. “It makes you Batman’s Batman!”

“Huh? What?” I inquired as I lifted my head to see where he was going with this.

“You have a vision for Batman based on how he was created . . . this dark and serious thing. And you’re refusing to let anyone else come in who might corrupt that or turn it back into some campy comedy. You’re forfeiting big money . . . sacrificing everything . . . in order to protect Batman and defend him. Michael, you’re Batman’s Batman!”

It was a dawning for me . . . an epiphany. This wasn’t about getting a movie made. It was about getting this movie made . . . my movie. And it wasn’t about money. It was never about money. It was about passion. And with that, Ben pulled me right smack out of my depression.

“So we failed to get a major studio to understand. Okay. There are other ways to make movies happen and find financing. Let’s strategize and pursue every other possibility out there!” he declared.

I jumped up off the bench, suddenly reenergized, and off we went . . . into movie history. Movies to come like Batman, The Dark Knight, and Joker would forever change Hollywood and redefine how the world culture would perceive comic books, superheroes, and super- villains.

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Synopsis for ‘Batman’s Batman’

An insider's look at Hollywood and how movies and television shows are made.

In Batman's Batman, Michael E. Uslan, executive producer of the Batman movie franchise, offers an insider's look at Hollywood and the process of how movies and television shows go from the drawing board to your screens.

Continuing the delightful tale of his adventures begun in The Boy Who Loved Batman, Uslan draws on both his successful and less successful attempts to bring ideas to the screen, offering a helpful, honest, and breezily told guide to producing films. From passion to promotion, from the initial pitch to selecting the best partners and packaging, Uslan reveals the 13 qualities essential to would-be producers.

A lively memoir and a valuable glimpse inside Hollywood rarely seen by the public, Batman's Batman is sure to please fans of Michael Uslan and the Batman franchise, but will also prove to be an invaluable resource for any aspiring producers, as he guides readers through the Land of Bilk and Money.

Michael Uslan’s Bio

​Michael E. Uslan is Originator and Executive Producer of the Batman movie franchise, spanning from 1989’s BATMAN to 2022’s THE BATMAN, including THE JOKER, the DARK KNIGHT trilogy, the Justice League series. His work has been awarded with Oscar, Emmy, People’s Choice and Annie Awards. He was the first instructor to teach an accredited course on comic book folklore at any university and continues to teach as a Professor of Practice at Indiana University Media School. He is also the author of The Boy Who Loved Batman (IUP, 2019), which will become a Broadway play in Fall, 2022 with the Nederlander Organization.
 
For Genius Brands, Michael oversees The Stan Lee Universe and legacy of characters created by Stan post-Marvel. He was appointed to Joe Biden’s task force of entertainment industry executives regarding gun violence and movies/television, and has served as a judge for the Asian Film Awards (Asia’s Oscars). He has also served on boards for Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership; the Association of Film Commissioners International; Wild Brain Animation Studio; Center for Excellence in Education; Youth Grants Panel, National Endowment for the Humanities; New Jersey Film Commission; Thomas Edison/Black Maria Film Festival; and Asbury Park Music & Film Festival.  A lifelong comics collector, he was born in Bayonne, NJ and now lives in both New Jersey and Los Angeles with his wife, Nancy.

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