Ten years after Jason Todd rose from the grave and menaced heroes and villains alike in the animated movie Batman: Under the Red Hood, the cast and crew have reunited for the prequel, Batman: Death in the Family. Adapting the classic comic book story by Jim Starlin and Jim Aparo, the latest DC Animated Movie provides audiences with an interactive experience as they are given the opportunity to make divergent story choices at crucial points in the movie, thus leading to drastically different paths for the characters.
In an exclusive interview with Brandon Vietti -- who wrote, directed and produced Death in the Family as well as helmed 2010's Under the Red Hood -- the filmmaker discussed returning to the world he helped create, the thrill of crafting an interactive experience and the joys of working in the DC Universe.
It's been a full decade since Under the Red Hood and here we are with Death in the Family. How's been to be able to come back and revisit these characters and this world for this film?
Brandon Vietti: It's been great and a privilege, because, honestly, I never thought that this opportunity would happen. We did the movie so long ago, but it's such a unique world -- it's familiar but unique -- and it did really well over time, and it's still a project I hear a lot [about]. People really liked that one. Judd Winick's story really resonated with people; people just loved the movie. This doesn't happen very often, to revisit a whole project and get to go back into it and find some new stories with it. And what an incredible, unique way to come back to it with our interactive storytelling.
Was that interactive aspect always in the DNA when you were coming up with this adaptation?
Vietti: Yeah, that conversation happened first. I had been interested doing some interactive storytelling for a while, and I talked to my bosses about it. I think it's just kind of in the air as technology has been evolving and more steps have been taken with interactive stories, which I think are very different from video games; interactive storytelling is its own thing. But streaming services and apps on phones have taken steps into that direction, and some game systems as well. I was very interested in it. It had been on my mind and, I think, on my bosses' at Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Bros Home Video.
And then it started to evolve, like, which direction to take our first steps into this? And from what I understand, it was Bruce Timm who kind of raised his hand and went "Well, you know, one of the most famous interactive stories in DC history is 'A Death in the Family' where fans got to infamously vote to determine the fate of Robin where Robin got to live or die by calling a 1-900 number to cast their vote." And that, I think, is when the conversation steered my way and I said "Of course! I got into this story a little bit in Under the Red Hood!"
I could go back into that project and use some the animation that we did back then. We can go back in and do new stories with a lot of new animation but also breathe new life into some of the animation that you remember from that movie; re-edit it, add new story, change how we look at it. Again, it's just an incredible opportunity not just to get those two projects together but the way we get to do it, especially on the ten-year anniversary of Under the Red Hood.
You've had ten years of experience since Under the Red Hood working with DC animation, including LEGO DC and Young Justice. Now, with the benefit of hindsight and added experience, what was something you were keen on revisiting this world?
Vietti: That's a good question. There's so many ways to go with that...I think it was the possibilities. Having worked on so many shows and having this experience in editing, just to go back and make a story better through editing, is a new idea for me which was something that really excited me. But really, just to dive into the story of Batman and all the stuff that I know and love about Batman's universe and supporting characters as a fan but also everything I've come to know working with the characters in the various projects I've worked on. I know the high points, I know the low points, I know the things fans have really responded to over the years.
To bring all that knowledge writing the story to this, and to use that knowledge to subvert expectations, to have this ability to put choices in the middle of the story that let audiences take the characters in new and different directions, but also let those new directions have interesting payoffs that would bounce off familiar things that we know and love from Batman's history. But it's all-new and all-different. It's still informative and still progressing the character, but in new and different ways. That was the real fun of this: Tell the story of the death of Jason Todd, but have it feel different and the same; echo the timelines you're familiar with, but different.
Was there any divergence you were especially set on having fun with?
Vietti: It's hard to talk about without giving away story details, but that's the fun of an interactive story in general. You're going off the main timeline everyone knows and loves and you're getting to do some exploration with these characters from the norm that you know, from the history that you know, the history that you cling to. And now it's a new history because you get to make the choices, you get to take the characters and find out what happens and be a part determining what happens to the characters. Once you have a hand in shaping those characters, you get involved and want to see what happens next.
I wish I had all the time and money in the world to keep on exploring these, because I think there's worthwhile material there, but I think for this project, I tried to create new pathways that will stir conversation and people's imaginations a little bit about what might have happened had I just taken another path or if Batman had chosen something different or if Batman had gotten to that warehouse where Robin was tied up with dynamite just a little bit sooner. All these different things could have happened and now we get to see how some of those things could've played out and how they could've impacted the DC Universe as a whole.
You've made yours DC, as an animator and filmmaker, for a very long time. What is it about this tapestry of characters that keeps you coming back for more?
Vietti: I love the universe, I love these characters. Over the years, I've gotten attached to them myself just getting so lucky to be able to work in the business with these characters; I feel like I'm in the universe now! Batman, in particular, I've been able to work on so many different version of Batman. I got to work on Bruce Timm's iterations of Batman, LEGO Batman, The Brave & the Bold; there's so many different iterations of Batman, and yet I feel like they're all true to the core. They're really flexible and that opportunity as a storyteller, for me, is what I like about the DC Universe. I feel like there is a lot of flexibility that has been crafted by decades of work.
There's been so many great filmmakers, so many great animators, the DC Universe has proven itself to be so accommodating to new and different ideas and there's no end to them. That's the other fun part for me, a new show comes looking for a new twist, and we can always find it because I think these characters and this universe invite that, and it's very fun to work in.
I have to ask: Is there any update on Young Justice?
Vietti: [Chuckles] Not at this time, it's still a little early before we start making announcements about that. We recently announced that the fourth season will be called Young Justice: Phantoms and that's about all that we've announced so far, and we'll be on HBO and that's kind of news, but we're not in a place to be making announcements yet.
What are you really excited that audiences get with this movie and return to this world that you've helped create?
Vietti: I'm really excited that audiences get to experience an interactive story and specifically this one. We're really lucky we get to bring new generations to the DC Universe with the work that we do everyday, with every show and movie that we make. And there's a lot of people out there that did not get to experience that moment in DC history when they could call a 1-900 number to choose if Robin died and now they get that chance with this new movie. And I'm really excited about people being able to control the story and make choices and see how their choices play out.
I put in a lot of work to make sure this totally goes against your expectations; I did not want to make an interactive story where you're presented with all these choices and that's exactly what happens with the press of a button. I wanted to create a story that defies your expectations and kind of challenges you to think before making a choice because one of the things that we learned was just because people cause to murder Jason Todd and see him die, that doesn't mean that was the end of his story.
That's another thing about the DC Universe, you don't what's after a somewhat final decision. And so I tried to present decisions like that throughout: You just don't know what's going to happen next, you have to be careful about what your choice will be. So that'll be something else that'll entertain people, you just don't know where your choice will lead. Honestly, I just want to keep making stories that are interactive; that's what I hope people walk away with: An appreciation for interactive stories.
Produced, written and directed by Brandon Vietti, Batman: Death in the Family stars Bruce Greenwood, John DiMaggio, Vincent Martella, Zehra Fazal and Gary Cole. It is set for release Oct. 13 on Blu-ray and digital HD.