Interview: Michael Uslan of THE BOY WHO LOVED BATMAN at Straz Center

At age five, Michael Uslan discovered a mysterious caped crusader on a comic book cover in a candy store with his older brother, Paul. Little did he know that this chance encounter with Batman would ignite a lifelong passion that would ultimately reshape his destiny and the world of superhero films forever.

Uslan's memoir, The Boy Who Loved Batman, captures this journey from a comic book-obsessed boy to the producer who brought a darker, grittier version of Batman to the big screen. Adapted for the stage, The Boy Who Loves Batman makes its world debut at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts from October 1 to November 10.

Uslan revolutionized the world's perception of Batman, but his journey was far from easy. In his twenties, he approached the president of DC Comics to purchase the rights to Batman. At the time, Batman was seen as a joke – the "Pow! Zap!" pot-bellied character from the TV series. Although strongly discouraged and cautioned it would be a wasteful investment, Uslan disagreed and privately raised the funds to buy the rights.

"I wanted to restore the Dark Knight and dignity to my Batman. And the president of DC Comics said, 'Please don't do this. I don't want to see you lose all your money. Michael, don't you understand? When Batman went off the air on television, the brand became dead as a dodo. Nobody's interested in Batman anymore,' " he explains, then adds, "But nobody's ever seen a dark, serious comic book superhero movie before."

The negotiation took six months, and on October 3, 1979, Uslan acquired the rights to Batman from DC Comics and falsely assumed Hollywood would welcome him with open arms, embracing his vision.

"I'm going to go out to Hollywood now with Batman in my back pocket, and everyone's going to line up on my doorstep. They'll see the potential for sequels, animation, toys, and games," he says and pauses. "I was turned down by every single studio in Hollywood. It was the worst idea they've ever heard."

It took a decade from when he purchased the rights until his first movie with Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, and Tim Burton.

"It was a human endurance contest. Ten long years of rejection and I didn't know how I would pay my bills the next week. How do you put food on the table? How do you keep a roof over your family's head? If I didn't have the support system of my wife and my parents, I couldn't have survived it. But we did, and we proved everybody wrong. With that movie,  we changed Hollywood forever, for better or worse. We changed the comic book industry and, maybe more importantly, the world culture's perception of comic books and superheroes. I'm not the kind of guy who says I told you so, but…."

Uslan captured this experience and others in his memoir.

Bob Nederlander, Nederander Worldwide Entertainment, first approached Uslan after reading his book, explaining that Broadway was changing. They were searching for great inspirational stories told in an intimate way.

"He said I think your story is exactly what we've been looking for. Bob led me to our playwright, Asa Somers, our director, Jeff Calhoun, and the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa, and that's how the process began."

Somers had a series of phone calls with Uslan and then with him and his wife of 50 years, Nancy, because he needed her perspective. He followed up with continual questions and fill-in-the-blanks.

"We connected as soon as we spoke to each other, and he has a wonderful way of bringing out stories and building trust and confidence, so Nancy and I were able to share some very personal things that have happened in our lives – some tragic and some wonderful. We felt secure with how he was processing and dealing with it. It was a really positive experience," he says. "It was quick. It was fun, and I couldn't believe how fast Asa processed everything and pulled it all together. It was like a lightning bolt."

Uslan estimates that converting his life story in the book to a play told in 90+ minutes took only four weeks.

Despite being a motion picture, television, and animation producer and writer for 48 years, Uslan says the craft of live theatre is entirely different.

"Know what you know and know what you don't know." Uslan relied on his trusted collaborators to make the best decisions.

During its first play reading in New York, he explained that when Calhoun cast his parents, "Bringing them back to life was a surrealistic, out-of-body experience for me. Magic was captured in that room, and everyone in attendance felt it. The actors were so terrific. I get the chills reflecting on that moment."

At the world debut of The Boy Who Loved Batman, Uslan and his wife will be in attendance for the first and last week. He is excited to have family and lifelong friends from kindergarten to college flying in to see the performance.

"I've been fortunate to have a great support system – between my wife, my parents, my brother, family, friends – and they're all showing up," he says.

Uslan was gifted with the talents of Tony-award-winning stage actor (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) and television film actor (The Fantastic Beasts, The Walking Dead) Dan Fogler, who could play him from ages seven to 40.

Paul Adam Schaefer plays Imaginary Friend. Katherine Yacko plays Nancy Uslan. Kelly Bashar, Nicholas Perez-Hoop, and Hugh Timoney play multiple roles, including Michael's family, Bill Finger, Stan Lee, and others.

The play features scenic design by Daniel Allen, projection design by Caite Hevner, lighting design by Mike Wood, sound design by Jeremy Douglass, and costume design by Newt Rametta.

You can easily picture a huge smile when Uslan responds to being asked if he would be signing autographs at Straz Back Door.

"I'm not only signing anything that anyone brings to me, be it a comic book, DVD, poster, or whatever; I will also be signing my book, The Boy Who Loved Batman."

Uslan explains that comic book superheroes are our modern-day folklore. "It's our contemporary mythology. If you don't believe me, I will only say that the Greeks called him Hermes, the Romans called him Mercury, and I call him the Flash. The Greeks called him Poseidon, the Romans called him Neptune, and I call him Aquaman. It doesn't matter if it's the Knights of the Round Table or the Avengers; it's all the same stories of brave heroes battling the demons and dragons of their day. The ancient gods of Greece, Rome, and Egypt still exist - only today, they wear spandex and capes.

If you accept comic books and superheroes from that perspective, then I think it's an incredible legacy, in addition to the fact that comic books are indeed a legitimate American art form indigenous in this country as jazz. The creator, artists, and writers of superheroes deserve everyone's respect."

Just don't ask him which Batman movie is his favorite. "Why don't you just ask me which one of my kids is my favorite?" He quipped and laughed. "I will say the first Batman movie was my lifelong dream come true. I've since been fortunate to work in my 48-year thus-far career with people I consider actual geniuses who have a passion and a vision for the character. What a great way to incorporate your dreams and passion into your work. I'm a very lucky guy."

A seemingly ordinary day sitting on the shoulders of his older brother Paul, who shared ten cents to pick out a comic book, forged the direction of Uslan's life. He says that reading the stories of Batman helped mold his personal, ethical, and moral codes.

"It was scary looking when I picked out a Batman, and that day began the love affair between me and my superhero."

Uslan hopes that anyone who ever fought for a dream will leave the theater with hope and a smile and that parents and grandparents will share this play with their children. He believes that will fulfill the most important word at this stage in his life: legacy.

"The play shows I was the only one who showed up. That's how I got the rights to Batman. Even a blue-collared kid from New Jersey who didn't come from money and buy his way into Hollywood had no relatives in Hollywood, didn't know anyone in Hollywood-  just by discovering your passion, making a commitment, persevering, you can make your own dreams come true. It really is possible. If I can do it, there's no reason anyone else can't do it. And I hope along the way with Batman, comic books, superheroes, and comic book movies that audiences worldwide will universally be entertained and see the humor and craziness of my story."

The Boy Who Loved Batman runs at Straz Center from October 1 to November 10. Tickets are available at strazcenter.org/events/2425-season/broadway/the-boy-who-loved-batman, and Uslan's memoir, audiobook, and sequel Batman's Batman are available on Amazon.

The Straz Center and Tampa Theatre are joining forces for a special evening of film and discussion. On Wednesday, October 2, Uslan will take the stage at Tampa Theatre after the screening of Batman (1989) for an exclusive talkback and audience Q&A. The film begins at 7:30 p.m., and Uslan's post-show talk will immediately follow. Local filmmaker Brett Culp, whose Batman documentary Legends of the Knight debuted at Tampa Theatre in 2013, is the moderator for the Q&A. Tickets are $10 ($7 for theatre members) and available at the Tampa Theatre box office or www.tampatheatre.org. 

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