Next month, one of my top shows returns to streaming.
Season 4 of TITANS hits HBO Max in November, and fans are raving about what the season could be like.
Viewers have just gotten first-looks at Brother Blood, Mother Mayhem, and Jinx, the villains of the show. And many hope for a potential love story between Brenton Thwaites’ Dick Grayson, and Anna Diop’s Starfire, two of the shows’ main protagonists.
I was honored to interview one of the TITANS writers, Bryan Edward Hill, and get a closer look into the creative process he goes through to bring these characters to life. Hill has tons of comics under his belt, along with live-action projects he’s been a part of. You can learn more about his work on his Twitter page, @bryanedwardhill
Here’s a behind-the-scenes image Bryan shared with me.
Below you’ll see the questions and answers between us. Enjoy!
1: What projects are you working on right now?
“My business is a world of secrets, but I can say that in addition to TITANS, I’m working on some theatrical projects I’m VERY passionate about, working with people I’ve admired as a fan, and people can expect to read work of mine in comic book stores in the near future. The gears are grinding, for sure. I’m grateful,” Hill said.
2: What drew you into doing what you’re doing today? To what do you credit your passion for comics, film, etc?
“Someone wise once told me that we go to films, to stories, to escape the difficulties of reality. That was certainly true for me. I didn’t have the worst childhood, but I had issues with parental loss. Finding my place in the world. A lot of fear of the future that I turned into adolescent anger. Stories were solace for me. The clean lines between hero and villain. Stories of overcoming adversity. Fiction has always been a great comfort for me. Now, of course, as I’ve grown I tend to make the lines between hero and villain a little blurrier, but that love of what stories can do has remained. I guess, silly as it may sound, I wanted to get into a position that helped others the way stories helped me. I don’t think there’s any inherent meaning in suffering, but I think we can find meaning by taking our experiences and trying to help others who might be going through the same,” Hill said.
“Michael Mann is my favorite filmmaker. As I grew up, I think he’s probably my single, greatest influence. I’m all over the place from French New Wave to John Carpenter. Hard to pin the passion down to one thing, one “reason.” I think we come to art, to make art, for a collection of reasons that funnel into a form that speaks to us. Film and Television spoke to me,” Hill continued.
3: Oftentimes, it can be difficult to navigate taking a comic book story and bringing it to life in live-action. What has helped you effectively do this in projects such as Titans?
“TITANS is such a group effort, a collection of these amazing people I’m lucky to work with, led by our showrunner, Greg Walker. We all bring our own perspective to the work, but my focus is preservation of what I find essential about these characters. Just my opinion, but I believe there should be a ‘continuity of essence’ in adaptation. The DNA should be there, no matter the format. The rest is just grammar and personal interest. How you do it,” Hill said.
4: Do you have a favorite medium of entertainment to create? What is it and why?
“Not really. To be honest I’m REALLY lucky. There are people much more talented than me who deserve to have opportunities as much as I do. Maybe more. Fate smiled on me, so all I feel is gratitude to be able to work in any form and make a living,” Hill added.
5: Let’s talk Batman. There’s a lot of questions surrounding the Caped Crusader right now. Will Ben Affleck return, and how will he return. Will Robert Pattinson fully take the mantle as Batman. Is Michael Keaton’s Batman retuning. Heck, will Christian Bale return one more time? Fans across the globe have been asking these questions especially the last few years. Let’s give you the keys and creative freedoms to bring Batman’s character to life the next 5-10 years. What would you do?
Sheehan asked
“I’m afraid the answer to that question would be very expensive, hahahahaha. I like Batman a lot. That’s all I’ll say,” Hill laughed.
“I do think Matt Reeves’ THE BATMAN was fantastic. I’ve dreamed of a “David Fincher” feel in a Batman movie and Reeves gave us that. Beautiful casting as well. Very excited to see where they take that interpretation of the character,” he added.
6: Same question above except for Superman. Should Henry Cavill return? Will The Rock’s Black Adam bring him back? What are your thoughts on that?
“Should” is a loaded word, so I won’t speak in those terms. Just speaking of Cavill’s performance, I liked him a great deal. As Superman he had strength and vulnerability always working in his performance, sometimes simultaneously,” Hill said.
7: Let’s discuss Titans. What’s something the fans don’t know about the creative process, or the cast, that you can tell them? It can be the smallest of details, to a funny story, etc. whatever comes to mind.
Matt Sheehan asked
“Whenever you see a scene and it looks cold? I promise it was colder than you think. LOL,” Hill laughed.
“The production has a real “family” feel. I’ve known these people for years, at this point, IMPORTANT years in my own personal growth. There are a lot of good people working on TITANS, many who you never see, but know that it’s all done with deep focus and attention paid.“
8: What is your hope for Titans? How long do you want it to?
“That viewers enjoy it.” This is something showrunner Greg Walker told me as well in an interview we did in 2021. You can find that interview on YouTube here.
9: Fans suspected a Red Hood spinoff was in the works. Do you think this project should be green lit, and are you working on this anytime soon?
“Each of our characters have their own awesome fan bases, and people love seeing their characters get more focus. Being a comic nerd myself, I’m so humbled by the fan communication around the show. I’m grateful for their interest and support in TITANS. This life is a gift that many don’t receive. It really is,” Hill said.
10: I want to talk about Iain Glen’s Bruce Wayne. A totally different take on the character, one which I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. Do you think Titans needs to show Iain’s Batman fully before it’s over? Are there plans for Iain to return in future Titans episodes?
“Iain is a joy to be around. One of those actors where all you want to do is order a chilled bottle of something and listen to stories all night. Just a wonderful guy to work with, and his performance brings experience and elegance to the world of TITANS.“
11: What projects do you have planned for the next 1-2 years?
“Hmmm. The best laid plans of professional storytellers. I have a lot of things in the works, things I’m very excited about, changes coming for me that I’ve wanted for a long, long time. Let’s see what the future holds.“
12: Are you excited for Black Adam? Would love to hear your thoughts on The Rock’s approach to the film.
“Sure! I don’t know Dwayne personally. Have some mutuals and all they talk about is how dedicated he is, and how generous he is. Whatever his approach was, I’m sure it’ll be fantastic to watch him bring it all to life. Such respect for that guy. A testament to dedication.“
Black Adam is in theaters October 21st, TITANS season 4 hits HBO Max in November.
Many fans are excited to hear from some of the cast at NYCC 2022. There will be a TITANS panel on Sunday, October 9th.
“join us for a kick-ass panel, our S.T.A.R. Labs booth and a few more surprises as we get ready for season 4! #NYCC#DCTitans” the DC Titans Twitter account recently posted.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Thank you to Bryan Edward Hill for sharing his time and insight with me during this interview. Good luck to the cast and crew of all of these projects! I’m excited to learn more. To my fellow TITANS fans, below I will post links to past interviews I’ve had with cast members. Get all caught up before season 4 premieres!
Brenton Thwaites (round 1) — Video here!
Curran Walters shows off Red Hood mask
Brenton Thwaites interview (round 2) — Video here!
Matt Sheehan Official 