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WITH SPECIAL GUEST MICHAEL E. USLAN
2h 6m / PG-13 / Action, Superhero
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In 1989, director Tim Burton – known at that point for dark, off-kilter comedies like Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure and Beetlejuice – pitted Michael Keaton as Batman against Jack Nicholson as the Joker in a gothic Gotham tale of the caped crusader’s early days of crime fighting.
The movie significantly changed the on-screen image of Batman from the campy, primary-colors-clad good guy of the 1960s TV series to the dark, brooding vigilante that more closely aligned with the character’s comic book origins. And its success, both critically and commercially, set a precedent for a generation of serious and more complex superhero films to follow.
In a lot of ways, we have Michael E. Uslan to thank for all of that. A lifelong Batman fan, Uslan played a crucial role in bringing this darker vision of Batman to the big screen. He acquired the film rights to Batman in 1979, only to spend a decade convincing studios to adopt a serious tone for the character. His persistence paid off, and having shepherded the 1989 Batman into theatres, he has had a hand in the production of every Batman-universe film or TV project since.
Uslan’s 2011 book, The Boy Who Loved Batman, chronicles his struggles and triumphs in Hollywood. It has now been adapted into an inspirational, comedic stage show set to make its world premiere at the Straz Center on October 1.
To celebrate, Tampa Theatre is calling all bat-fans to join us for a special screening of the movie that started it all at 7:30pm Wednesday, Oct. 2. Following the film, Uslan himself will take the stage for a post-show film talk and audience Q&A with local filmmaker Brett Culp, whose Batman documentary Legends of the Knight debuted at Tampa Theatre in 2013.
Copies of The Boy Who Loved Batman book will be available for sale, and Uslan will be signing them at the end of the evening.
Tickets are $10.00 ($7 for theatre members) at the historic Franklin Street Box Office and $12.00 online at www.tampatheatre.org.
Presented in partnership with the Straz Center for the Performing Arts.