SHORT FILMS
Watch: Tim Miller's 'DC Universe' Short That Landed Him 'Deadpool'
by Alex Billington
February 18, 2016
Source: YouTube
"Pick on someone your own size!" Everyone is talking about the insane success of Deadpool last weekend - breaking box office records and earning the appreciate of audiences. The movie is directed by a first-time filmmaker named Tim Miller, who co-founded a VFX house called Blur Studios in 1995, and has often worked with David Fincher (e.g. on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo opening titles). Miller got the offer to direct Deadpool thanks to a cinematic short made for the DC Universe Online game that impressed an exec at 20th Century Fox. The short features various DC superheroes/supervillains like Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, and Joker fighting it out. The film is viewable below to see what it was that got him the job.
In an interview with Time Out Dubai (via SlashFilm), Miller explains how this cinematic short film got him the Deadpool job: "The executive at Fox who'd been working on X-Men: First Class with Matthew Vaughn had seen a piece I'd done for a DC Universe project, which had a lot of superhero action… He came down and we met, and by the end of that meeting he said, 'You know, I think you should really be directing your own film. You're a first-timer so I can’t get you on anything big, but we have this other movie… Deadpool. Are you interested?' I'd read the script already and I thought it was great, so I jumped at the chance." That was it. He says there were a few more hurdles to jump through, but the rest is now record-breaking history.
10 Comments
1
Not bad, but time travel stories are too easy. Great for comic book authors though. Such a simple way to get the characters back.
Carpola on Feb 18, 2016
2
They get really complicated when it comes to the Flash comics. Rarely do they do it to get a character back in that sense. It's a great way to create a multiverse and other realms. Giving them a chance to see the character in a different light. One of my faves is Superman Red Son where instead of landing in Kansas, he lands in the Ukraine and becomes a champion of communism.
TK on Feb 18, 2016
3
With the time travel element, I end up not caring about the characters because I know there's a chance they will come back via some sort of last minute time travel. The Flash tv show has Earth 2 like the comics, which means they can do some good fan-service things, but when a character dies like Cisco, then is back again, it gets a bit hard to care. Heroes the tv show suffered a bit with the time travel thing too. i remember hearing about Red Son, might have to look it out. Cheers TK!
Carpola on Feb 18, 2016
4
Yeah I am a fan of the Justice League comics and characters. I know it puts a lot of people off but I was so happy to see Jay Garrick, Barry Allen and possibly Wally West working together.
TK on Feb 18, 2016
5
That was pretty awesome.
Cyberdine on Feb 18, 2016
7
I remember that DCU spot. Miller's opening credits sequence was the best part of THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO.
DAVIDPD on Feb 18, 2016
8
Blur Studioes also did the intro to Dawn of War, I so wish someone would make a full length animated movie like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtAH7kGEqic
El_MUERkO on Feb 18, 2016
9
He also directed the live action 'scanned' trailer for Halo 4 which was very impressive. Plus I'm sure his company worked on Halo 4 as I remember him on the special features.
Payne by name on Feb 18, 2016
10
Blur has done some great work on a variety of different projects. VFX is a tough industry to be in. Overworked and underpaid so I always applaud when I see work like this because it takes a lot of time and effort. Good on Tim Miller. They've been trying to get the Goon of the ground for a while but glad they at least got to do work on Deadpool.
TK on Feb 18, 2016
New comments are no longer allowed on this post.
FEATURED POSTS
FOLLOW FS HERE
Follow Alex's main account on Twitter:
Add our posts to your Feedly › click here
Get all the news sent on Telegram 
LATEST TO WATCH