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Panel Detail:

Wednesday, April 28, 2010
9:30 AM - 10:45 AM

Superheroes Save Hollywood: Translating Comics Into Blockbusters

Moderator:

Kevin Klowden, Managing Economist and Director, California Center, Milken Institute

Avi Arad of Arad Productions says that Spider-Man could have been the world's greatest cat burglar and that most villains could have been heroes. From left are moderator Kevin Klowden of the Milken Institute, director Bryan Singer and Matt Tolmach of Columbia Pictures.

The villain introduces the conflict, said director Bryan Singer ("X-Men," "X-2" and "Superman Returns").

"The smarter the villain, the stronger the villain, the more ahead of everyone else the villain is, the more suspense you have," Singer said. The viewer knows rationally that the hero will survive, so the film has to create an "illusion of jeopardy," he said. "In a movie about heroes, where you know the hero is going to win, you need to be constantly thrown that maybe that's not going to happen."

Singer said what's important is how the villain affects the hero. Though these stories traditionally trade on a battle between good and evil, the best of them acknowledge that the characters are fighting the same battle internally, panelists said. As Matt Tolmach of Columbia Pictures (the Spider-Man franchise) put it, "You need an actor who can present the hero with a viable, albeit wrong choice."

Avi Arad of Arad Productions ("Spider-Man," "X-Men" and "Iron Man" movies) said Spider-Man could have been the biggest jewel thief in the world. Conversely, most villains could have been heroes, he said.

"They come from a different point of view. Sometimes it's philosophical, a chip on their shoulder, sometimes it's childhood," Arad said. "And that's what makes them more than a villain. It makes them damaged goods, and maybe they're going to turn around in the end."

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