MICHAEL E. USLAN
So where is Gotham City, exactly?
Recent evidence points to someplace down The Shore.
Certainly The New Jersey Hall of Fame sees a connection. In 2010 it inducted Neptune City native Jack Nicholson, who played The Joker in Tim Burton’s “Batman.” That same year, it honored Danny DeVito, who was raised in Asbury Park and played The Penguin in Burton’s sequel.
And now, 15 years later, it is honoring Michael E. Uslan. He will be inducted in a Nov. 21 ceremony at the American Dream Mall in East Rutherford.
Not familiar with the name? Uslan, a life-long comic book fan from Ocean Township, actually made all the Batman movies possible.
First, he persuaded DC to sell him the film rights to what, back in the late ’70s, was considered a fading property. Then he spent years tirelessly pursuing his cinematic vision of a dark, brooding superhero. (The biggest challenge? Getting studio heads to think past the campy TV show.)
The result has been his gift to movie fans. His gift to the Garden State? His dedication to his work as chairman of the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission, striving to bring movie-making back to the industry’s birthplace.
Uslan, 74 — whose long resume includes two memoirs, producing projects from “Swamp Thing” to TV’s “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?,” and teaching the nation’s first course on comic-book literature — took some time recently to talk about what in going on with Jersey filmmaking, and himself.
MICHAEL E. USLAN
Q: What will it mean to you on Nov. 21, when you’re inducted into The New Jersey Hall of Fame?
A: I can’t even begin to explain. When you’re a blue-collar kid, born and raised in New Jersey? It means everything to me and my family. My whole family was originally from Bayonne. Then, when I was 3, we left to move down The Shore, which is where I grew up. It was the most magical upbringing. I mean, it was the center of rock ‘n’ roll. Where else could you go see Janis, and then The Doors the next night, or Led Zeppelin? It was an amazing place to be. It gave me the greatest education, and mentors who made such a difference in my life. I still think of the English teachers who, back in 7th and 8th grade, saw something in me, and encouraged my writing, and told me, “You know, when you grow up, this is something you could actually do as a career.” If you don’t think there are real-life superheroes, you’ve never met a great teacher.
Q: It’s funny that there’s this little contingent of Jersey guys who are such a big part of the Batman universe.
A: It’s true. And Cesar Romero (who played The Joker on TV) grew up in Bradley Beach. So that’s four of us who grew up within miles of Asbury Park. And then there’s Trenton’s favorite son, Jerry Robinson, co-creator of so many of the great Batman villains.
Q: You’ve been involved with the New Jersey film commission almost as long as you’ve been involved with The Caped Crusader. How have things changed over the years?
A: Yeah, I was originally appointed by Gov. Kean, so that gives you an idea of how long I’ve been doing this! But frankly, something magical happened under Gov. Murphy, who went out and got us everything we needed to succeed. It’s been a coming together of both sides ever since, working on a bipartisan basis for the betterment of New Jersey. We were just voted the best film commission in the world. We have three new studios preparing to open here — Netflix in Fort Monmouth, Lionsgate in Newark, and Paramount Skydance in Bayonne. The Bayonne project is called 1888 Studios — named after the year when West Orange’s Thomas Edison patented his motion picture camera.
Q: Even with bipartisan political support, though, there are always going to be people saying, “Yeah, but why are we giving tax breaks to Hollywood?”
A: Because it’s about economic development. Film production in New Jersey brought in $803 million last year. That is money that is going directly into the local economy, money being spent on hotel rooms, gas, bars and restaurants, lumber, paint — everything you can think about from daily life. The commission is delivering on everything we’ve been promising — creating jobs, and providing training for lots of people. You add in those three pending studios, and now you’re talking about thousands of construction jobs, too, plus the thousands of permanent jobs that will follow. New Jersey is currently the No. 3 home for film production, and we are on an upward trajectory.
Q: What’s made the commission so successful?
A: One thing, I think, is we started a “film-ready” program where we go from town to town in advance and talk to local officials, the police department, the fire department, everybody. We spend half a day or so saying, “OK, understand, this is what it’s like when the circus comes to town. Here’s how you maximize the economic impact of having a film shoot in your hometown. Here’s how you minimize the disruption to residents.” So when the filmmakers arrive, they’re met by people who already know what they’re trying to do. That’s why we have filmmakers coming here and, even better, filmmakers like Steven Spielberg coming back. Last year, film production was down in 49 states. In New Jersey, it was up by 81 percent. You know, I was talking to someone and he said, “So, can we call New Jersey ‘Hollywood East’ now?” And I said, “No, but you can call Hollywood ‘New Jersey West.’ ”
Q: A little bit of Jersey attitude there!
A: Hey, that’s part of the appeal!
The cover of Michael E. Uslan’s memoir, “The Boy Who Loved Batman.”
Q: I guess it took some of that confidence to first bring Batman to the screen. We’ve seen sequels, reboots, spinoffs — what’s next for the character?
A: Well I’ve been pestering the studio for years that we need to see the detective side of Batman onscreen. I mean, he started in Detective Comics, right? And we saw that with Matt Reeves’ “The Batman,” and I think he will top that with “The Batman: Part II.” And there’s a lot more ahead. Next year we’re going to see (Batman character) Clayface in his own horror film. We’re also in pre-production on an animated feature, “Dynamic Duo.” Nobody’s resting on their laurels. What’s great is that the people at DC Films know this character and they’re going to keep it exciting, and keep pushing the envelope, and keep attracting different filmmakers with different visions. There’s a reason why Batman’s been around for over 85 years. He’s the superhero with no superpowers: His humanity is his superpower. And that’s why his appeal spans generations.
Q: You’ve written about his lifelong appeal to you, starting with your book “The Boy Who Loved Batman.” Which, the last time we spoke, I remember you were in the process of turning onto a play. What’s happening with that?
A: I’m very excited to report that The Nederlander Organization is really behind it. Right now we’re on pins and needles waiting for an opening date. I think it’s going to be sometime in the spring of ’27 on Broadway and then maybe afterward on London’s West End. It’s a very eerie experience seeing my life come to life onstage; the most surrealistic thing was casting the actors to play my parents. When it came to casting the part of my wife, though, I was smart enough to let her deal with that. That should keep my marriage going another 50 years.
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