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Backstage - Interviews - Michael Jelenic
 WF:
Hello, Michael! First off, please tell us about your
responsibilities on Batman: The Brave and The Bold ,
and don't skip any details!
My job as the story editor entails producing the scripts
for the show. The process starts by sitting down with
James Tucker, the shows supervising producer, and the
other episodic writers to define the basic concept and
story line. From there we pound out an outline and move
into drafting a full script.
Another part of the job is making sure all the scripts
have the same voice. Different writers have differing
styles, so it’s my responsibility to ensure consistency
across the entire series. That means make certain that
every script is the same in style and tone – almost as
if they all originated from the same writer.
WF: Can you tell us what we can expect from
Batman: The Brave and The Bold, and what it will
give the audience that no other series has to date?
This version gives us a chance to see more aspects of
Batman’s personality than ever before. He won’t be so
dark and brooding, but instead more playful and light
with a sense of humor and irony. We enjoy opportunity to
see him in other environments. He goes to space, dives
under the ocean, across time and even we even go inside
his own body! This is a completely new direction for
Batman that we haven’t seen.
WF: Fans are eager to know who will be swinging by on
this series. Are there any characters you've been unable
to use that you hope to use in the future? Can you
reveal any appearing heroes and villains who have yet to
be announced?
Superman and Wonder Woman aren’t in this season. We
really wanted to focus on many of the other DC
Characters that are less commonly explored and branch
out a bit. I don’t want to ruin any surprises, so tune
in to find out about all the guest stars!
WF: Having watched the first episode, the pre-credit
teaser will be unrelated to the rest of the episode
itself. What challenges did this present when having to
come up with a pre-credit teaser and then having to
write a full-length episode that now runs around 18 or
so minutes, as opposed to the standard 20 – 22 minutes?
I think this format posed a couple of challenges that
turned into great opportunities. Primarily, since the
teaser is unrelated to the main part of the episode, the
first time you watch the show it might be a bit of a
rough transition. Once you’re adjusted to the new format
though, it’s like getting to see two episodes in one
sitting and that is fun.
There are definitely pros and cons to everything. We had
less time to tell the main story, which forced us to be
very efficient in our story telling, as well as stick to
simpler stories. We couldn’t get too epic but on the
other hand, this allowed us to introduce more characters
and see Batman across a broader variety of situations.
 WF: Based on the episode titles, the opening credit
sequence, and even the show itself, this is going to be
a much lighter Batman. Why take this approach to Batman,
especially given the immense popularity of the
incredibly dark The Dark Knight feature and Batman
R.I.P. comic storyline?
I think one of the reasons that we went with this
lighter approach is because James and I had both
previously worked on darker versions of the characters,
and those versions had already been told in animation
numerous times. We wanted to try something that was
different and new. This gave us an opportunity to
introduce younger viewers to this iconic character the
same way we were as kids. It’s a fresh take on the
character and a way to introduce new characters as well.
By going lighter, it opened several new avenues of
storytelling.
WF: It's easy to just dive into the darker aspects of
Batman. As someone who's worked on more serious-minded
interpretations of Batman, how did you avoid that for
Batman: The Brave and The Bold? Is it difficult
to write for a lighter Batman who has to share a
spotlight in each episode without making him lose any
character depth?
It was a bit jarring at first working on this lighter
version of Batman. Our instincts were definitely to go
darker. Everybody likes exploring the twisted and
psychological aspects of a character, and especially
with Batman it’s a little tricky to separate that side
of his mythos from the rest of him. As far as the
writing goes, we were presented with the difficulty of
telling a story that is dramatically compelling without
being too dark. Instead we relied on other aspects, such
as making the characters more humorous, opening the
stories up so they’re larger and over the top. This
drove the attention towards the elements of fun instead
of dissecting Batman’s psychological make-up, which is
at times, too dark for kids.
WF: Now isn't the first time in recent memory Batman
has been made a bit lighter. You previously worked on The
Batman. How did working on The Batman prepare
you for working on Batman: The Brave and The Bold?
Working on “The Batman” was very helpful in preparing me
for “The Brave & the Bold”. We covered so many of the
darker stories with “The Batman that we knew we didn’t
need to revisit them in “Brave & the Bold”. It was
liberating to embrace the lighter aspects of the show.
In addition, on “The Batman” we delved into his
background in depth. I learned so much about his past
and what people respond to, and what they didn’t (like
nachos). This knowledge helped me to hone in on what the
fans really want out of this character.
WF: After watching the first episode, I found it to
be fun for all ages. If I could compare it to anything,
I'd compare it to the light-hearted Marvel
Adventures comic line. How do you think fans will
respond to this series, and do you think the series will
be able to pull in new fans, young and old?
To be honest, James (Tucker) and I were concerned about
fan reaction. We’ve known all along that we’d be making
a show that the public would respond to because it has
many elements that worked really well. At the same time,
we were completely prepared for the backlash of turning
Batman into a lighter character. However, if you go back
to the Batman of the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s, we are still
borrowing from that great illustrated style and serious
fans appreciate the homage.
 One thing we’ve both been surprised at is overwhelmingly
positive response. While we always though eventually
we’d win over the fans, we’re very excited it’s
happening so quickly.
WF: Michael, what else are you working on at this
time? Will you be working on future DC direct-to-video
animated features beyond Wonder Woman, such as
Green Lantern or Superman Batman: Public
Enemies, or even stepping outside the DC Universe?
Care to spill any details?
We’re finishing up on Wonder Woman and its going to be
fantastic! As for other direct-to-video projects, there
are several that I’m in talks with to be involved in the
near future. Currently, I’m developing a new series
featuring a DC character. It will be a complete
departure from “The Brave & the bold” with a more
serious approach, and I think it’s a character I know
the fans are eager to see animated.
WF: As we wrap this up, give fans at The World's
Finest and beyond one final reason to tune into
Batman: The Brave and The Bold this November!
I think one of the best parts of the show is that these
characters are really refreshing, both in how they’re
interpreted and how they interact with one another. It’s
something serious adult fans will enjoy and be able to
share with their kids. Be sure to tune in Friday,
November 14th at 8:00PM ET/ PT on Cartoon Network!
[ Back to Backstage ]
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