The Academy Award and Emmy-nominated filmmaker discusses her 3-part DC docuseries that features over 60 new and archival interviews with the industry’s most prolific creators.
Superpowered: The DC Story, a three-part original DC documentary series co-directed by Academy Award and Emmy Award-nominated filmmaker Leslie Iwerks (100 Years of Warner Bros., The Imagineering Story) and Peabody Award-winning and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Mark Catalena (Johnny Carson: King of Late Night, Inventing LA: The Chandlers and Their Times), is now streaming on Max.
Narrated by Rosario Dawson, the docuseries takes an unprecedented look at the enduring and influential legacy of DC, allowing fans to rediscover the universe of characters, as well as the iconic comic book company’s origins, its evolution, and its nearly nine-decade cultural impact across every artistic medium.
Iwerks joined the project after being approached by Warner Bros. to help “tell the ultimate, never-before-story of DC Comics and its evolution of characters spanning over eight decades.” Offered rare access by the studio to a “treasure trove of archival materials” within the DC vaults, Iwerks asked herself, “Why wouldn't we tell this story?!”
“We were able to get our hands on (the archival materials),” she shares. “It gave us the opportunity to try and tell the story in a unique way.”
Speaking to the themes of creativity, business, and innovation coming together, Iwerks notes that “this had all that wrapped in a true underdog journey over time - which was interesting to me. These characters are inspiring, they represent hope and reflect humanity, so it was important to bring out the cultural impact these artists and characters had in the world.”
Superpowered: The DC Story features a wealth of interviews with the industry’s most prolific creators and the actors who bring their iconic characters from the page to the screen, reminding us that at the heart of DC are the comics – the four-color fantasies that forever spark the imagination and instill hope.
“I hope comic book fans will find it a fresh take with new material and stories they've never seen before,” continues Iwerks. “And I hope non-comic book fans will enjoy it for the true hero's journey story and relate to the passion that goes into such indelible creativity.”
The docuseries features over 60 new and archival interviews with the industry’s most prolific creators, actors, and executives, including Melissa Benoist; Greg Berlanti; Tim Burton; Mike Carlin; Lynda Carter; Henry Cavill; Kaley Cuoco; Gal Gadot; James Gunn; Patty Jenkins; Dwayne Johnson; Michael Keaton; Regina King; Zoë Kravitz; Jim Lee; Zachary Levi; Damon Lindelof; Tom Mankiewicz; Jason Momoa; Christopher Nolan; Robert Pattinson; Christopher Reeve; John Ridley; Margot Robbie; Bruce Timm; Michael E. Uslan; and Mark Waid, among others.
“The best part of making this was working with DC, Berlanti, and Warner Horizon,” Iwerks says, also describing the passion shared with her partners, co-director Mark Catalena, and “the great team of producers, editors, assistant editors, researchers, archival producers at Iwerks and Co.”
“When you have alignment in the goal, it makes the project that much more fun, and we always try to plus one another in finding the greatest undiscovered gems we can bring to the table,” she continues.
Summing up her experience, she reflects, “Additionally, interviewing the amazing array of artists, writers, editors, directors, producers, and executives who shaped DC over the years and hearing their personal stories and passions, was truly inspiring!”
Superpowered: The DC Story is produced by Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with Warner Horizon, DC, Berlanti Productions, and Iwerks & Co. Iwerks and Catalena co-direct and the docuseries is executive produced by showrunner Iwerks; Berlanti; Sarah Schechter; David Madden; Jim Lee; and Doug Prinzivalli, with co-executive-producers Catalena, Rachael Jerahian, Jonathan Gabay, and Adam Schlagman.
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
