Also an interview from DeKnight who's directing Justice.
EM.....ELI MCELMURRAY
SD....STEVEN DEKNIGHT
from stx-superhero-report-site
Could you give a brief synopsis on this episode:
SD : Synopsis? What, are you trying to get me fired, you cheeky little monkey? Okay, okay, let me see what I can
tell you without getting in trouble with my various overlords. Bart Allen, Victor Stone, and Arthur Curry cross
paths with Clark once again, and high adventure quickly ensues with the dubious aid of Oliver Queen. Damn.
Was that vague enough?
I know over the past few years characters (FLASH, AQUAMAN, CYBORG, GREEN ARROW, MARTIAN
MANHUNTER) have shown up leading what fans have been waiting for.
EM: how did you come up with the script?
SD : Budget was a huge concern, so I approached it from the angle of “Okay, what cool stuff can we really afford
to do?” That’s one of the reasons I decided to focus on Bart/Clark relationship for the first half of the episode.
He’s the character I felt Clark bonded with the most, so he was the “in” to the story. And from there of course we
had to have the classic attack on the villain’s stronghold…
EM: after so long why do a Justice League episode now?
SD: Because my deal with the devil finally went through. That, and it just seemed to fit this year, what with Zod
and Green Arrow and Martian Manhunter and all the other cool superhero type stuff happening on the show.
The timing was just right.
EM: Why didn't Martian Manhunter show up in it?
SD: An embarrassment of riches. We already had four guest characters (including Oliver Queen) to service,
and just didn’t have room for one more. Plus, MM’s story is a separate arc from what’s going on in Justice.
EM: There have been people wondering why no female in the line up. Could you give some light on this?
SD: I would have loved to have had a female hero in the mix, but this didn’t happen for several reasons. We
wanted to stay with characters we already introduced, so that pretty much left us with Andrea Rojas, a.k.a.
Vengeance Girl (the wonderful Denise Quiñones). Unfortunately from what I understand Denise wasn’t
available due to her commitment to another TV series. And as stated in question 4, there just wasn’t enough
room in an hour show for another hero.
EM: We know that Lex and his 33.1 is the center point. Are any returning Meteor Freaks from past shows
going to show up? How many does Lex use?
SD: No meteor freaks in this one. That would have been cool, but the budget just wouldn’t allow it. To pull
something like that off, it’d have to be a season opener as big and expensive as Zod. But 33.1 does figure
prominently into the action.
EM : There are rumors floating around we might see the young JL again this year. Can you shed some light
on this? What about the spin-off of JL rumor?
SD : Anything could happen, but honestly it was a miracle all the actors’ schedules lined up for this one
episode. I’m not sure that will ever happen again. As for a spin-off, there was some crazy talk about that at one
time, but I believe it’s fallen by the wayside. But you never know what might happen if the “Justice” ratings are
huge enough. So tune in, you bastards!
EM : I guess that No tights rule just got thrown out?
SD : No, it’s still firmly in effect -- for Clark. Everyone else is fair game.
In fact, I’m wearing my Wonder Woman Underoos as I type this.
EM: How is this going to set the rest of the year’s event?
SD: Some important stuff will definitely be set in emotion, but the big take away from this episode is an
emotional one for Clark. He finally starts to get the sense that he’s not alone in his efforts, that he’s part of
bigger, nascent superhero community.
EM : With so many characters how much does each character get to talk?
SD : Exactly eight and half minutes a piece. Seriously, some of the characters have more lines than others, but
everybody gets their moment. You think I’d leave Aquaman hanging? Dude. Bro. Wet and freaking ready.
EM : was there anything you wanted to put in but couldn't?
SD : The big 33.1 meteor freak fight with our heroes would have been awesome, but hey – maybe one day. I
also would have loved to have had an intense underwater sequence with Aquaman, but filming anywhere near
water is just too time consuming and expensive. Beyond that, Justice is the kind of fan-boy wet dream I used to
fantasize about getting my hands on back when I was a squeaky little nobody trapped in the backwoods of
Jersey, longing for adventure and excitement. I still can’t believe I got to play in such a giant sandbox with so
many amazing characters. Up, up, and – ehh, you know the rest.