Believe it or not, the iconic Superman: The Animated Series (STAS) might have never happened! Creator Bruce Timm, fresh off the success of Batman: The Animated Series (BTAS), was primed for another superhero project.
In the 1990s, as Kids’ WB! (an American children’s programming block that aired on The WB network from 1995 to 2006) was adding more shows during the day and on Saturday mornings, Oscar-winning director and producer Steven Spielberg wanted to team up with Timm. However, fate (and a creative difference) intervened.
Why did Bruce Timm leave a WB project with Steven Spielberg?
In an interview with Comicolog, Bruce Timm revealed that straight off the success of the Batman: The Animated Series, Steven Spielberg (a BTAS fan himself) wanted to collaborate with him.
But it wasn’t Superman. Instead, it was Freakazoid — a wacky parody superhero. Started in 1995, it stopped airing after only two seasons in 1997. The reason?
It’s because Timm had a serious, Spider-Man-like idea in mind for the project. But Spielberg wanted to make it a slapstick comedy, which Timm wasn’t into. Since they couldn’t agree creatively, the animator left the project. He said:
“I bailed on it really early. It started out as an adventure show, but it ended up turning into more & more of a comedy show; every time we’d have a meeting with Steven, the concept would kinda change, and it kept leaning more & more towards zany comedy.”
If Freakazoid had kept going, Timm would have stayed with it for a while. However, since the show (based on a quirky and unpredictable superhero with random abilities) was set aside, talks about a Superman project began to take shape.
Bruce Timm’s Superman: The Animated Series Launched DC Animated Universe Legacy
Bruce Timm finally got his chance to bring the Man of Steel to life in animation in 1996. He exclaimed in the same interview:
”So one day I had a meeting with my boss, Jean McCurdy, and she said, ‘Do you want to do Superman cartoons?’ And that time I said ‘Yes!’ [Laughs] After Freakazoid, it was like, ‘Yes! I want to do Superman cartoons!’ I didn’t even have to think about it.”
Choosing to go ahead with Superman not only led to Superman: The Animated Series but also set the stage for the whole DC Animated Universe, like Justice League (2001) and Justice League Unlimited (2004).
While it might not get talked about as much as Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series is seen as a key show for the DC Animated Universe and a fresh take on Superman.
Watch Superman: The Animated Series on Apple TV.
