Uslan discusses the cultural impact of ‘Batman’ on its 35th anniversary
Students, staff, faculty, and IU visitors filled the seats of the sold-out IU Cinema theater Friday to watch a monumental film. As the previews faded to dark shots of a graveyard, a title appeared on the screen: “Batman.”
“The summer of 1989 was magical. Batmania ruled the world. Back in New York, you could not walk 20 steps across Times Square without seeing someone in a Batman hat or a Batman t-shirt,” said Media School professor of practice Michael Uslan, BA’73, MS’75, JD’76, and originator and executive producer of the Batman movie franchise.
Viewers gathered to watch a screening of “Batman (1989)” followed by a Q&A session with Uslan in celebration of the film’s 35th anniversary.
“It’s like watching your dream come true over and over and over again,” Uslan said.
Uslan had fond memories of when the film was released. It premiered in Los Angeles, and while every film star he could think of was there, he didn’t care. He was a comic book geek, which meant he was hanging out with Stan Lee and Bob Kane, and he was as happy as could be.
“What hit me the most was the fact—not that we were breaking every box office record—it was that we were having a global, cultural impact. We were changing the world’s view of comic books and superheroes,” he said.
Media School Dean David Tolchinsky hosted the Q&A session, beginning with a fond memory of himself owning a Batmobile as a child. He asked Uslan questions about the process of bringing Batman and the Joker to the screen and how they explored the minds of both characters.
“The other thing we’re starting to talk about in the school and a personal interest of mine is the role that failure plays in people’s lives and how that can lead to great success. How did you manage to be so persistent?” Tolchinsky asked.
Uslan told the story of how his ideas for “Batman” had been rejected by studio after studio out of the belief that comic books on superheroes could not be made into serious films. It took 10 years for him to get the movie made after buying the rights to Batman.
“It forces you to look inward. It tests your metal as a human being. You gotta think, ‘okay is everybody right, and I’m just being stubborn, or do I really, truly believe in this, and do I really, truly believe in myself?’” Uslan said. “I kept coming up with the latter answer.”
Fortunately, Uslan said he had a support system in his parents. He remembered his father telling him to find his passion and his mother telling him to find integrity, for it leads to commitment. He compared the journey to the Greek tale of Sisyphus.
Uslan has been an avid supporter of IU and has enjoyed teaching classes here since his junior year of college, when he taught the world’s first college-accredited course on comic books.
“IU let me do that, and I will never forget them for that. It’s one of the reasons I come back every year to teach at The Media School. It’s part of my payback,” Uslan said. “It’s the reason the Lilly Library—I’ve now donated some 45,000 comic books, books, and memorabilia as part of the payback.”
Looking toward the future, Uslan is excited for the premiere of the Broadway-bound play adaptation of his memoir, “The Boy Who Loved Batman,” at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa on Oct. 1.
Uslan thinks there are many opportunities in the film industry amidst the chaos of the evolving media world, especially for younger people. He said that the opportunities have arrived for “disruption,” for a chance to shake up the industry vis-à-vis the studios, the networks, and the streamers.
“And who has the greatest opportunity?” Uslan said, looking at the audience. “It’s you. It’s the people who are going to be leaving college…and are going to be entering this new phase of this industry as they try to figure things out, and they are desperate for new voices, diverse voices, and young perspectives.”