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YOUNG JUSTICE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Producers Greg Weisman & Brandon Vietti

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Premiering on Cartoon Network this November is the animated Young Justice, inspired by the DC Comics title of the same name, and CBM's Superhero Tooniverse had the opportunity to sit down for an exclusive chat with producers Greg Weisman and Brandon Vieti.


Interview conducted by and copyright Edward Gross

SUPERHERO TOONIVERSE: How long has this been in development?

BRANDON: About a year.

GREG: Longer than that – I think it was March – not this March but the previous March.

BRANDON: Time blurs together when you’re working on something so intensely.

GREG: It took us months to finally get the green light, because Warner Brother and Cartoon Network and DC are all part of the same Time-Warner family, so getting them to communicate with each other takes a long time. So it took us a while to get the green light, but then I think last October, we finally got the green light and we’ve been on an express train ever since.

BRANDON: But it came together really quickly, because I think Greg and I both came into this kind of wanting to do the same kind of show together. I think we had different ideas on how to do it, but when these characters came up, I think Sam Register was a big part of helping come up with the idea for what direction to take for us, putting the show together.



GREG: And it intimidated both of us. Sam sort of said, “Here’s the kind of show we want to do, something with Justice League, or the young characters or something like that,” and he threw out the Young Justice title, just the title, and I think we were both terrified, because Bruce’s [Bruce Timm] Justice League Unlimited is so iconic, and so great, and Teen Titans is a very different show, but it’s also a great show in the other direction, and so for us to forge something that was new, and wasn’t treading on the turf of those two shows was sort of scary. And then we sort of found our placement with this covert ops team, and I put together a list of – I’m not kidding – 50 teenage characters for us to choose from. We went through and made the decision fairly early on that this was going to be a young DC universe, that Superman will have only shown up ten years ago, put on the cape ten years ago, Batman would have only put on the cape nine years ago, that the heroes haven’t been around that long, and once you’ve made that decision, then the idea of starting with Dick Grayson and Wally West, the original side kicks, they’re still young…

BRANDON: I think that also helped us get out from under the shadow of these other shows, like Teen Titans and Justice League – to sort of reset the DC youth, in a way, and that allowed us the freedom to find our own identity.

GREG: Which was really important to us – and we think we’ve done it… we hope we’ve done it –

SUPERHERO TOONIVERSE: Where does it fall in terms of the age of the audience that you’re shooting for?

BRANDON: We’re hoping to catch everybody. Our stories are all about teenagers of course, and I think those stories are going to appeal to the younger audiences, but there’s a sophistication to the way we’re telling the stories, there’s a complexity to the stories that we’ve got that will definitely appeal to the older fans.

GREG: I think, from an economic standpoint, we have to hit boys 6 – 14 for Cartoon Network to sell their ad space or whatever, so if you think of it as a bull’s eye with concentric circles, that’s the bull’s eye we have to hit – but I’m not satisfied with that and I don’t think Brandon is either. A, we want boys and girls, so there’s a lot of great relationship stuff in this, there’s humor in this show – I mean, it’s a serious show, but there’s a lot of humor in it, there’s a lot of eye candy for little kids. I think little kids could enjoy this show, and some stuff will go over their heads, but they won’t know it’s going over their heads. There are a lot of explosions and guys in costumes, big villains and big events that are eye candy for the youngest audience, but there’s a lot of sophisticated stories for a teen audience, a college age audience, an old fart audience like me – and I certainly think any fan of DC comics in general is going to find a lot of great stuff from the 75 year history of DC comics to enjoy in the show.



SUPERHERO TOONIVERSE: You’re going to hear a lot of farts and burps in Teen Titans, not so much in Young Justice?

BRANDON: Not so much – maybe occasionally, we’ve got teenagers and we’re true to that fact. They’re not dry teenagers, they’re fun teenagers, and they may not be fun in the middle of an mission – we treat our missions and our action very seriously, but when they’re training together or hanging out together, there will be moments of levity, because they’re teenagers, and I think they have genuine teenage reactions.

GREG: And we’re also trying to show a complete picture of their lives, so we don’t just see them training or on missions, we also see their home lives, we see their school lives, we’re trying to get a complete picture. We wanted to ground this series in reality as much as possible; we’re dealing with science fiction and fantasy and super heroes and all the genre stuff, but at the same time, we want to try and put it in the context of as much reality as possible, and really ground it – we want to see these characters’ lives, their homes, their schools… all this stuff is part of our show, it’s a big canvas we’re painting on.

SUPERHERO TOONIVERSE: Superboy is Connor Kent – you’re using him as Superboy – when you say his home life, is he part of the Kents –

BRANDON: I don’t want to give away too much right now, but saying no to that is enough for now – he’s newly cloned, he’s 16 weeks old – he looks like he’s 16, but he’s 16 weeks, and this is a new interpretation of the character, but we feel it really stays true to the origins of the character and is a very honest portrayal of him, but I think he’s going to be different from what people expect.

SUPERHERO TOONIVERSE: Is his DNA that of Superman and Lex Luthor?

GREG: We cannot confirm or deny.

BRANDON: We’ve got to keep some secrets.

SUPERHERO TOONIVERSE: Will that be explored on the show?

BRANDON: Absolutely.



SUPERHERO TOONIVERSE: So was there a reason you chose these specific characters? The mix seems similar to the Young Justice comic.

BRANDON: Well, you know it’s a mix – we’re influenced by the Young Justice comic that Peter David did, we’re influenced by the original Titans from, you know, the late 60s, and a lot of more recent stuff, and everything in between –

SUPERHERO TOONIVERSE: And then you’ve got Robin – which Robin are we talking about?

GREG: Dick Grayson. There was a lot of speculation about that, and we kept it under wraps for a while, but it is Dick Grayson, and that’s part of our DC reset – we’re going back to the early days, so it just begs that we use Dick Grayson.



BRANDON: We’ve got a cast of six core characters, and a lot of others around them so it’s a mix – you’re going to see all sorts of combinations –

GREG: Kid Flash –

BRANDON: That’s Wally West --

GREG: We never said Impulse – it’s Wally West – we can run down them here – Aqualad –

BRANDON: That’s the new Aqualad that Geoff Johns introduced in Brightest Day, recently – and Garth is in the show – he’s not Garth – it’s not like we suddenly changed and Garth is black – but Garth is in the show, and this our Aqualad. He’s the leader of our team --

GREG: We’ve got an interesting way into that – and then of course our big revelation that is from Geoff Johns, he wanted us to reveal there’s a secret in Aqualad’s past, that even Aqualad doesn’t know about, and that’s that Aqualad’s father is Black Manta.

SUPERHERO TOONIVERSE: So that’s that from the comic –

BRANDON: It will be in the comic, but it’s not out yet. Geoff’s like, “Tell them,” and I’m like, “Really?”



SUPERHERO TOONIVERSE: Where are the girls?

GREG: The girls… there’s Miss Martian. She’s Geoff Johns’ creation, too.

BRANDON: She’s the Martian Manhunter’s daughter.

SUPERHERO TOONIVERSE: So this is really a young Justice League?

BRANDON: That was one of the deciding factors on how we chose the characters: we wanted to have adults that the kids viewed as mentors or as parental figures I guess, and some relationships are better than others.



SUPERHERO TOONIVERSE: Do we have a Wonder somebody?

BRANDON: Wonder Woman is in the show, she’s member of the Justice League, but we don’t have a Wonder Girl –

SUPERHERO TOONIVERSE: And then there’s Arrowette, right?

GREG & BRANDON: That’s Artemis.

BRANDON: It was a mistake online – someone assumed she was Arrowette, but I announced that she’s not Arrowette, she’s not Speedy, she’s not Wonder Girl, she’s not an Amazon, but she is an existing DC Universe character. We did not make her up. So those are the six leads. And we’re set on Earth 16, so we’re actually a part of the DC Universe – you know they have 52 earths now and we’re Earth 16, so we’re part of the multiverse, and the comic book that’s based on the show is going to be in continuity.

SUPERHERO TOONIVERSE: What kind of role does the Justice League play?

GREG: Some play more than others – Batman and Red Tornado have really big roles in the show, on an ongoing basis. Some characters like Superman, Martian Manhunter, Black Canary, Green Arrow, Aquaman, and Flash have large roles in the show, others have lesser roles. Captain Marvel has a big role – Captain Marvel’s being played by Rob Lowe.

BRANDON: He’s really great – Green Arrow was Alan Tudyk from Firefly and Dollhouse, and Batman is Bruce Greenwood, who played Batman in the Red Hood movie.



SUPERHERO TOONIVERSE: Who’s voicing Superman?

GREG: Nolan North, who’s also doing Superboy.

SUPERHERO TOONIVERSE: Oh that’s interesting, to have the same voice…

GREG: But he makes a good separation.

SUPERHERO TOONIVERSE: Earlier you said covert missions – is there a set up to this show?

GREG: It’s a little bit like Mission Impossible actually.

BRANDON: Batman is kind of their Jim Phelps, if Jim Phelps didn’t go on the missions with them. So he chooses the team, and he sends them out on these covert missions.

SUPERHERO TOONIVERSE: So it’s a generational thing –

BRANDON: There’s an element of that, but there’s also an element of the sidekicks saying we’re ready for the next level. There’s an element of the teens saying to the adults, “Get on board or get out of the way.”

GREG: Again, a show about teenagers, and I think to be true to that, to be true to what a teenager is, there’s a little rebellion there, there’s a little but of kids wanting to get out on their own, and they want to take the next steps to being an adult, and in this show, we explore that thoroughly. These are their first steps into adulthood. They want their own team, they get their own team, and then when they actually go out on missions, it isn’t always exactly what they want it to be, so there’s a lot of discovery that the kids have among themselves and on the mission at the same time.

SUPERHERO TOONIVERSE: So it sounds like a very different take on this type of show.

BRANDON: And that’s what we wanted. Again, looking at what has come before us, we really wanted to find our own identity for the show, and I think that’s one of our angles.
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48 Comments

I haven't been paying attention to this, but it looks like a DC animated movie now. It's shaping up.
Good stuff @Ed
Creature - 8/19/2010, 9:52 PM
Wow, this sounds great, I gotta look up the trailer for this.

Great job Ed, as always!
Eviltwin - 8/19/2010, 9:52 PM
Looks interesting I'll give it a chance..
TABOO13 - 8/19/2010, 9:53 PM
Thanks, guys. Talking to Brandon and Greg REALLY got me excited about the show. And the trailer rocks.
EdGross - 8/19/2010, 9:57 PM
Interesting. I wish this would prompt Marvel to produce a Young Avengers animated series in a couple years (after the avengers have established themselves in their own show). That would be cool. lol but is Disney willing to deal with Billy and Teddy's relationship?Patriot's drug issues? And that other group of Young Avengers backed by Osborn? There are perks to being owned by disney and there are the downsides. Then again, Marvel wants to make a Runaways movie.


ScionStorm - 8/19/2010, 10:01 PM
Is there a full trailer online yet? All I can find is a behind the scenes with the creators.
Eviltwin - 8/19/2010, 10:02 PM
Niece or daughter?I originally heard Miss Martian would be J'onn's niece.Now they say she's his daughter.I guess daughter makes more sense, as he had one in the comics.Also, they don't need the whole White Martian thing, as this isn't New Earth.

I kinda like how they're setting this on another Earth and not doing an adaptation of the mainstream.That way, they can tweak situations and relationships as needed.It gives them more freedom.
tazmaniak - 8/19/2010, 10:13 PM
Eviltwin, the trailer is intermixed with that behind the scenes video.
EdGross - 8/19/2010, 10:25 PM
This is great. The character design and art looks great too. This will be awesome!
Jolt17 - 8/19/2010, 11:09 PM
The only annoyance I have so far is Dick is wearing the costume that Tim made. Nothing big, and it does look cooler, but I prefer the diversity amongst the boy wonders to stand out.
Hamm3rtym3 - 8/19/2010, 11:34 PM
This is going to be a cartoon series to be remember It already has great animation and a great creative team behind it.
ToughGrappler - 8/19/2010, 11:44 PM
is there aqualad? is he blonde in comic?
Daniel blacklantern - 8/19/2010, 11:45 PM
This version of aqualad is the son of Black Mamba, and since AC pretty much orphaned the kid, he took him under his wing. Not sure if he is blonde in comics though, but he is black
Hamm3rtym3 - 8/19/2010, 11:51 PM
The animation and style of this looks way better than the Avengers animated show from Disney XD.
ChrisDviking - 8/20/2010, 12:33 AM
@Hamm3rtym3 -Black Mamba? You mean Black Manta.
GeekSexy - 8/20/2010, 12:45 AM
@ EdGross, Oh ok, that is the one I saw tonight then. Thanks Ed!!!!
Eviltwin - 8/20/2010, 12:49 AM
this looks much better compared to that pseudo-anime bullshit that was teen titans
ghostpudding - 8/20/2010, 2:31 AM
oh look they gave faces to the dicks responsible for this crap show. black aqua man has light sabers? wtf?

teen titans was shit and this is shit.
grif - 8/20/2010, 3:41 AM
OMG what the [frick] are they doing????

............

It hurts me to say because I love DC but their [frick]ing it all up, whats wrong with the real YOUNG JUSTICE and their rich stories?!?

This looks smelly DONKEY POO! : P
LEEE777 - 8/20/2010, 3:54 AM
This is YOUNG JUSTICE =



How hard is that HOLLYWOOD, meh lol.
LEEE777 - 8/20/2010, 3:58 AM
I think the footage looks amazing, the animation has so much more fluidity than a lot of other animation out there -- just compare the footage that's been released with the trailer for The Avengers animated series to see what I mean -- and I REALLY like what these guys had to say about it. Sitting across from them, you could sense their passion and commitment to the show -- and let's not forget that Brandon has worked on a variety of projects, including most recently Batman: Under the Red Hood (which he directed); and that Greg is not only the producer of Spectacular Spider-Man, but creator of Garygoyles as well. With those kind of credits, I think these guys will definitely deliver.
EdGross - 8/20/2010, 4:25 AM
I'm really excited for this show. And I love that they kept Bruce Greenwood as Batman. He was great in Under the Red Hood.


weneedrevelation - 8/20/2010, 5:30 AM
OMG! The writers for Under the Red Hood and Gargoyles are writing this? It's on. This might be better than Justice League Unlimited.
weneedrevelation - 8/20/2010, 5:41 AM
@LEEE777

Why do you always have to b*tch and whine about these things, ultimate sucks this sucks everything sucks from you're point of view... Is there anything you don't whine about?

Check it out first before going wha wha wha ok?

Loganace - 8/20/2010, 5:45 AM
Loganance

There's no point in speaking to Lee about whining. He'll continue to piss on everything if it's not exactly taken from the comics. Hell, he even wants Patrick Wilson as Ant-Man in the Avengers movie. How weak is that? He's the type of fan boy that makes other fan boys not want to read comics.
weneedrevelation - 8/20/2010, 5:50 AM
LEEE: All three of them are in this show. Except they dropped the crappy 90's look and gave them the new improved look. I don't see how they screwed up.....
ThaMessenger07 - 8/20/2010, 5:52 AM
@weneedrevelation

I know it's a lost cause, he's like this one guy from Fox news who was commenting on a modern game and said, what happened to the good old days of pacman or whatever

dude stick with the program things change things evolve come on

Loganace - 8/20/2010, 6:03 AM
@Daniel blacklantern

He looks very similar in the comics, except he has dreadlocks instead of blonde hair.
http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/2/28018/1306798-jackson_hyde__03__001__01_.png

And how exactly is DC "fricking it up" by not sticking to a decade-old comic book that most people have never heard of?
iconstatic - 8/20/2010, 6:06 AM
Leee: You have a good point, my friend. These guys are completely MISSING what made the comics so good. I'd much rather see Arrowette with her pushy and obnoxious mother, Impulse instead of Kid Flash driving everyone around him nuts, Wonder Girl with her own mom issues, and most of all, Secret. She was an extremely interesting character, and the reason the team formed. All we have now are junior members to correspond to each of the big seven in the Justice League. That is not what this group was intended to be.

That said, I'll still watch the show and give it a fair chance.
comicb00kguy - 8/20/2010, 6:15 AM
this actually looks quite good,unlike marvels attempt
i think it was called avenger kids or something like that.
deadpool72 - 8/20/2010, 6:30 AM
Maybe... Could be something here... I'd like to see an aggressive kick-ass Robin... He's been around for a while... He should have an i wanna fight attitude... That is what he does...

Plus this may be a good show for him to turn into Nightwing... I wanna see more Nightwing...
FrankLeeGitnit - 8/20/2010, 7:20 AM
No way...I say they femme him up. Make Robin gay! You know he was anyway.
Gusto - 8/20/2010, 7:46 AM
He could get it on with Aquaman. You know he was a fruit.
Gusto - 8/20/2010, 7:47 AM
@Hamm3rtym3

Jackson Hyde aka Aqualad who is black aint blonde in the comics they just did that for the cartoon series for some reason

Jackson Hyde aka Aqualad

jazzman - 8/20/2010, 8:36 AM
Why do people keep complaining about it not being a good adaptation of the comic book?Are you know actually reading the interviews?It's not an adaptation of the comic book.Sam Register, Executive Vice President, Creative Affairs of WB Animation came up with the name, as in Young Justice League.It has nothing to do with the comic.He's probably never even heard of the title.They're not messing anything up, because it's not supposed to be that comic book.

It's like how Mutant X had the same name of the comic book involving Havok, but it had nothing to do with it.It just shared the same name.
tazmaniak - 8/20/2010, 9:40 AM
I keep complaining 'cause I'm a jerk trying to fill the hole in my heart left by a void of self-esteem. Alcohol helps too.
Gusto - 8/20/2010, 10:07 AM
ohhhh damn i was hoping for tim becuase dick was never in league with superboy
secretasianboy - 8/20/2010, 10:30 AM
Wow, this sounds like it's going to be a really good show. I love that we'll explore the past of great heroes like Grayson and Connor. I love they got Bruce greenwood to play batman! Hope John DiMaggio gets to play joker again too.
doctormario - 8/20/2010, 10:42 AM
I'm glad to see a teen titans movie that wasn't made in Japan.
Hallows - 8/20/2010, 10:44 AM
so there is garth in the show, green arrow has arsenal and artemis, but batman only ha dick grayson what the what!
drknight92 - 8/20/2010, 10:45 AM
drknight92, they said there are other recurring heroes, so I'm sure others will show up.Maybe Batgirl will be on the show.
tazmaniak - 8/20/2010, 11:16 AM
the voice cast so far is
Alan tudyk=Green arrow
Rob lowe=captain marvel
jesse mccartney=robin
phil lamarr=aquaman
ezio619 - 8/20/2010, 1:43 PM
give your opinions on the cast please
ezio619 - 8/20/2010, 1:44 PM
Aquaman should be voiced by Perez Hilton. 'Cause he's gay. Get it?
Gusto - 8/20/2010, 1:55 PM
GUSTO. JESSE MCCARTNEY AS ROBIN IS THE ONE THAT I AM MOST SURPISED ABOUT.WHAT DO YOU THINK
ezio619 - 8/20/2010, 2:02 PM
@tazmaniak maybe, but i really wanted this robin to be tim, and to see nightwing as a recurring heroe like in the young justice comic
drknight92 - 8/20/2010, 5:52 PM
THIS SHOW IS GONNA BE AMAZING!!!
AsianAvenger - 8/20/2010, 6:48 PM
love this and cant wait to watch...HOWEVER....I think it is BULL$#**T that they will use use the NEW Aqualad (and be a leader at that) but use Grayson as Robin and not Tim Drake, also use the new superboy. sometimes i think these creators are so idiotic. comon guys pick a generation, not mix new and old.
darque13 - 8/20/2010, 8:39 PM

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