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Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths: Executive Producer Bruce Timm offers New Insights on “Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths” and “The Spectre”

Executive Producer Bruce Timm offers New Insights on “Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths” and “The Spectre”
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Today at 8:25am
Executive producer Bruce Timm offers new perspective on the creation of “Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths,” the latest entry in the ongoing series of DC Universe animated original movies, and “The Spectre,” the inaugural DC Showcase animated short, in an all-new Q&A with the guru of super hero animation.
Batman attempts to save the Earth, er, Earths as he faces off with his evil doppleganger Owlman.

Warner Home Video will distribute the full-length animated Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths on February 23 as a Special Edition 2-disc version on DVD and Blu-Ray™ Hi-Def, as well as single disc DVD, and On Demand and Download.

Timm, the executive producer on “Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths,” has been the creative force behind many of Warner Bros. Animation’s modern-day successes, elevating DC Comics’ canon of super heroes to new heights of animated popularity and introducing generations of new fans to the characters via landmark television series and made-for-DVD films. The latter task includes the creation of the current series of DC Universe animated original movies, which have drawn critical acclaim and further whetted the public’s appetite for comic book entertainment. “Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths” is the seventh film in the ongoing DC Universe series.

And here’s what Mr. Timm had to say …


Question:
What excites you about Juctice League: Crisis on Two Earths?

Bruce Timm:
In a weird kind of way, this is a return to my favorite show Justice League Unlimited. The original script was intended to be the bridge story between Justice League and Justice League Unlimited to explain how we went from seven heroes to more than 50 super heroes. We loved the story and the script, and it floated around here for years while we tried to figure out what to do with it – it was considered for a comic, but fortunately that got shot down. Then we took a look at it and, with just a few slight tweaks, we jumped at the chance to make it a DC Universe movie.


Question:
What sets it apart from the TV version of Justice League?

Bruce Timm:
It’s a very satisfying, grand scale adventure movie with a big cast of interesting, quirky characters. It’s amazing how much it feels like a great episode of Justice League Unlimited as a big, epic film with slightly different visual stylings. That’s a good thing.


Question:
Did this film present challenges that the first six DC Universe movies did not?

Bruce Timm:
The biggest challenge, and this is kind of esoteric, was that we had to find the line between the original source material and making it feel like a stand-alone movie so anyone that didn’t watch JLU could follow it. We really didn’t have to tweak the script too much – I think about 95 percent remains untouched. In terms of visual styling, we also wanted it to stand on its own and not necessarily as a continuation of the old show. We have this brilliant character designer – Phil Bourassa – who draws in a style similar to my own in terms of simplicity, but slightly different. So it doesn’t look 180 degrees away from the old show, but it definitely feels unique.


Question:
What are the benefits of having two directors on the same film?

The positive for Sam and Lauren is that having two directors lightens the workload, because it’s a big movie. They have similar strengths, and they’re both very good at what they do. They’re both all around talented in terms of understanding story, acting, the emotional core of the story, and they’re both really good at directing big crazy action scenes. But they’re methodology is different. Sam thinks a lot, he’s very analytical. Lauren is more intuitive about everything. I just kind of stayed out of it when they had disagreements – fortunately I never had to be the tiebreaker, They just worked things out between the two of them.


Question:
What are Dwayne McDuffie’s strengths?

Bruce Timm:
Dwayne is really well-rounded as a writer – he knows comics inside and out, he understands the lore, he knows what makes a good super hero story, and at the same time he’s really good with character dynamics and conflict. Plus he’s one of the best dialogue writers in the business.


Question:
Of this fairly huge casdt, do you have a favorite character?

Bruce Timm:
In this story, it’s probably Owlman. He’s a fascinating character himself, but the dynamic with Superwoman is so messed up as a couple, and yet really appealing in a weird kind of way. It’s a little similar to JLU’s relationship between The Question and Huntress. Superwoman is this badass hot chick, and he’s the quiet, brainy, nerd guy. They’re an interesting, odd couple. Plus I loved both James’ (Woods) and Gina’s (Torres) performances – they were spot-on. The amazing thing is we like to get all the actors to record as an ensemble, but in this case it wasn’t feasible, So they never met or performed together, but they totally mesh. It’s such an interesting chemistry considering they’ve never even met.
Owlman explains his nefarious plot to destroy all Earths with a devastating weapon.


Question:
You’ve brought another all-star cast to this film. Anything fans don’t know about the casting choices this time around?

Bruce Timm:
There’s an interesting side note in that Vanessa Marshall, who plays Wonder Woman, came this close to playing the role in Justice League. We were down to the final two choices, and they were neck and neck. The thing about Vanessa is that she sounded perfect for Wonder Woman – exactly what she should sound like. But Susan Eisenberg had this vulnerability. We thought it would be interesting to not play her to type, which ultimately played really well. When it came to casting for this movie, we thought, “What if we go down the road not taken?” So we opted for Vanessa in a full-length movie and she is great.


Question:
“Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths” includes the premiere of the first DC Showcase animation short, “The Spectre.” How have the DC Showcase shorts changed your work day?

Bruce Timm:
The DC Showcase is fun because it gives us an opportunity to play with characters that maybe don’t have a broad enough marquee value to support their own movie. As much as I like Batman, Superman, etc., the more lower tier, offbeat characters are really fascinating to me. It’s fun to mess around with others characters in the DC Universe. Super heroes are great, but it’s nice to do a change of pace, and that’s a lot of what we’ve done here. “The Spectre” is a supernatural thriller,; “Jonah Hex” is a western, and so on. So the Showcase is giving us a chance to stretch different muscles.
The Justice League makes its pitch to stand and fight the Crime Syndicate to an alternate Earth’s President Wilson.


Question:
After taking a break from episodic TV for the past several years, are you enjoying a return to the short-form with the DC Showcase?

Bruce Timm:
The interesting thing is these are really short form – they’re half as long as a half-hour TV episode. So the story has to be really tight and condensed – you have to cut away the fat, but it can’t be just wall-to-wall action. It still has to be a story. Fortunately we’re working with some really great writers, and because of that, every time we roll tape on these shorts, they feel like you’ve watched a whole episode of something. There’s a clear beginning, middle and end – a full story. So mission accomplished.


Question:
What made Steve Niles the right guy to write “The Spectre,” and how did you lure him into writing an animated short?

Bruce Timm:
I’ve admired Steve Niles’ work for a long time and, honestly, it would have never occurred to me to approach him. That was Todd Casey’s suggestion. He contacted Steve, and Steve was thrilled to get the assignment. He’s a big Michael Fleisher/Jim Aparo fan, and a big fan of “The Spectre” – especially that 1970s era of the character. Steve is very into crime fiction and horror, so he was the perfect writer for it.


Question:
Does “The Spectre” hold any special significance for you?

“The Spectre” was one of my favorite characters back in the 70s. Even by today’s standards, those comics are pretty hard core, and they were written in 1974, I don’t know how they got some of that stuff past the comic code. It was so different from any other comic on the stands. It’s really dark, really nasty. The character is pretty easy to understand – he’s the dark avenger of the night, even more so than Batman. He punishes bad guys in horrible, horrible ways. He’s like the benign Freddie Krueger. I’ve wanted to use “The Spectre” for a long, long time and we never had a opportunity to do it, and this was our chance to go hog wild with him.


For more information, images and updates, please visit the film’s official website at http://www.JUSTICELEAGUECRISIS.com

Martial Law?

I got this blog from Ellen Tordisillas, it's an interesting read because in our current society, we have no room for this. Militarism should be stopped.

Raid!

by Michael Tan
Philippine Daily Inquirer

I know some of you are expecting a column about yesterday’s Inquirer forum at UP with the presidential candidates. I have a lot to share about that event, but I have to postpone that article because I want to write about a very urgent issue, one which has implications for the elections.

I’m referring to the raid conducted last Saturday on a health workers’ training seminar organized by an NGO, the Council for Health and Development (CHD), resulting in the arrest of 42 of the workshop participants. That included two physicians, one nurse and one midwife. All the others were community health workers, most of whom were poor farmers or workers who have been trained as paramedics and health educators. The 42 were brought to Camp Panopio in Tanay, Rizal.

The media reports have mostly featured the military’s claims that the workshop participants were rebels and they were being trained to make bombs. There has been little from the detainees themselves because the mass media have been denied access to the prisoners.

My column today mainly uses information from Dr. Delen de la Paz, vice president of Health Action for Human Rights, and press statements from CHD.

The workshop was being held on private property, a farm/resort owned by Dr. Melecia Velmonte, a retired 71-year-old professor emeritus at the UP College of Medicine who often lets health NGOs use her place for such training activities.

Not since martial law have I heard of a military raid on this scale. Dr. Velmonte has been quoted as saying there were at least a hundred soldiers involved when they raided the farm at 6:30 a.m. Many remained in the perimeter of the farm even after the health workers had been hauled off. The military says they had a proper search warrant; CHD says they had none.

What makes the whole incident even more disturbing is that no one was allowed to visit the detainees over the weekend. A few relatives were given permission on Monday and they say that the detainees have been maltreated, with one claiming he was subjected to electric shock during interrogation. Human rights groups are helping relatives and have filed for a writ of habeas corpus with the Supreme Court, which means the military may have to produce the detainees soon.

Escalation?

Until that happens, friends and relatives, as well as many health NGOs, are understandably agitated. Are we seeing a replay of the Marcos dictatorship, where health workers serving the poor are suspected of being subversives? Or is this an escalation of Arroyo-style repression and the regime’s vow to crush the NPA before her term is up?

We tend to associate raids with the police swooping down on prostitution dens, or shabu manufacturers and distributors. But during the Marcos dictatorship, raids were also frequently directed against political dissidents. When martial law was first declared, the military conducted raids throughout the country, arresting people from all walks of life who had been vocal in criticizing Ferdinand Marcos.

The more prominent dissidents at least had some protection because of media coverage and access to lawyers. Soldiers were known to even apologize as they entered homes of such luminaries. Raids in urban poor communities and rural areas were much less civil, soldiers or police storming through the homes (or entire villages) and the military looking for evidence of “subversive” activity, which could be anything from books by Marx to acupuncture needles (because the NPA was known to use alternative forms of medicine). If the military could not find materials, they would often end up “planting” them.

Raids almost always resulted in arrests, and much anxiety on the part of families. After a few months of martial law, it was becoming clear that the military was using torture during interrogation, or worse. This was the time when “salvaging” came into use, a mutation in the meaning of the English word, from “saving” to “executing” or “killing.” Relatives considered themselves lucky if the bodies were found. Others were literally “disappeared,” never to be seen again.

The first few years of martial law were the worst, but with time, organized groups of lawyers, the religious, educators and even doctors began to fight back, pressuring the Marcos government to observe international agreements on human rights.

NGOs were particularly vulnerable to these raids and staff members were trained about their rights, and what moves to make after a raid or arrests. It was not easy defending human rights. I remember that initially to dare to even mention “human rights” was itself considered subversive. Eventually though, “human rights” would enter the language of mainstream Philippine society so that today even government officials use the term.

Elections

Raids on NGOs continued after the dictatorship fell but a democratic regime meant more safeguards. Under the Arroyo administration, the raids stepped up again, together with other human rights violations. These repressive acts became so widespread that the European Union sent in an investigating team who did confirm a pattern of political repression. A government investigation commission headed by Jose Melo (now Comelec chair) was less conclusive, but did acknowledge there were human rights abuses.

Delen de la Paz tells me that when she went around asking for help from government officials, the standard reply she got was: “But they were NPA.” Now even if these workers were NPA, which I doubt, the raids and arrests have to be governed by legal processes. Those who were arrested should have been given immediate access to relatives, as well as to legal and medical support.

In the years after the Marcos dictatorship, I have not heard of a raid on this scale, with so many arrests and with such brazen violation of the rights of detainees. This raid does not augur well for the election campaign. Many candidates will be outspoken in criticizing the government and incumbent government officials. If arbitrariness and impunity are allowed to rule, those in power can easily use the “NPA” tag on anyone who disagrees with them, and can have the military round them up in raids.

We have to pin our candidates down on their positions about human rights. So far, I have only read of statements from Bayan representatives, Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay and Sen. Pia Cayetano, all decrying the raid. Will our presidential candidates, all potential commanders in chief of the Armed Forces, be ready to walk their talk about defending human rights?

Habang nakikinig sa forum ng mga gustong maging Presidente

Nakikinig ako kanina ng PDI presidential forum sa radio. Hindi ko maiwasan isipin na mas masaya ang pulong kung nandun si ERAP. He'll light up that boring forum.
Yung pagtatanong ay maganda, liban lang, sana debate talaga sila. As it is there was no rebuttal. Parang interview ang nangyari. Jamby and Dick swiped Villar to no end. Noynoy was asked about the separation of state and religion. Yung iba forgettable talaga. I just found out that J.C. Delos Reyes' children goes to public school. That's good. My son also goes to public school. No choice and we must adjust. My daughter malamang next school year lilipat na rin.
Eddie Villanueva still doesn't make sense and really sounds like a pious and self righteous man. Sayang di tinanong kung san galing pondo nya. Or the fact na yung church fund and ginamit nya sa kampanya.
All in all, it really lacked the comedic element which Erap could have provided. Although my mind's already made up on who to vote, we need these kinds of forums to better know who these presidentiables are and what their respective platforms can do.
Good pm.

A new Superman movie

I'm waiting for Warner to put out a new Superman movie. I really feel it's time to do their follow up to Superman Returns.
I think WB has wasted enough time already. And also, finding the actor to play the role proved to be very difficult for them so why not use who they got?
Anyway, that's just me......
Plot wise, I think there should be a level of xenophobia among the populace of Metropolis. Before hailing themselves a hero they should at least trust him more. Also, the Lois-Clark interaction should be more utilized. Plus please don't make Clark into a nerdy geek again. Please make him more like the George Reeves version. Tough as nail but still mild mannered.

Ha, my weekend has started....LOL

Another Day

Yesterday's heat was unbearable. I was in Quezon City then San Juan and finally Makati. The heat made me breath hard. My head was really aching non-stop. Due to my exhaustion I forgot to get my change from the jeepney. There goes my 100 bucks.
I'm just here in the office today. Printing reports again.
Too tired.

What changes do I want?

We've been calling for changes in our country. Almost everyone wants the same thing although those who support the current administration might disagree.
Now, the May 2010 elections is fast approaching and by next week, it's official campaigning period. Already we have hints on the forerunners. But there is still the cloud of doubt that full automation would push through.
Anyhow, Noynoy Aquino and Manny Villar leads the pack in surveys while Erap is running third. Cheating aside, I think these three would battle it out. Every other would be presidential candidate will bite these threes ionic trail.
So what change do I want to see? Seeing as Erap already had his chance and Villar seems to attract people that were with Erap before, I'd go for the one who wants accountability and honesty back in government.
Lets hope he wins. And if not, may our country still prosper.