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INTERVIEW: Greg Weisman, Co-Creator of Young Justice

One of my absolute favourite animated superhero shows of the last few years was Young Justice. Following in the footsteps of the DC Timmverse, this show introduced a brand new take on the DC Universe and its younger generation of heroes. It was a true all-ages show, with something for everyone to enjoy. It also holds the award for being the only cartoon show to ever truly fool me with a twist.

 

Unfortunately, the show was cancelled at the end of its second season. Ever since, fans have been clamouring for the powers that be to bring the show back in some form. Recently, there’s been a surge in the #RenewYoungJustice campaign on Twitter. No one wants to see the show come back more than co-creator Greg Weisman, who spoke to us about the show, the recent campaign, and whether we’ll see Young Justice again.

 

AP2HYC: How did you first get involved with Young Justice?
 
Greg Weisman: After The Spectacular Spider-Man ended, Sam Register, the head of Warner Bros. Animation, brought me over and teamed me up with Brandon Vietti [the other co-creator of Young Justice].  Originally, he put us on a Green Lantern show, which we developed and successfully pitched to DC Comics for their approval.  But before it could go any further, the company decided to delay Green Lantern for a year.  Then Brandon and I were briefly told to work something up for Space Ghost.  And then Sam suggested Young Justice.
 
AP2HYC: How do you feel about the way the show ended?
 
GW: Guess that depends what you mean.  We were very happy with our last episode.  And we knew – by that time – that it would be our last episode.  But obviously, we would have much preferred staying on to do more seasons.

AP2HYC: Did you have plans in place for season 3? What would they have been?
 
GW: Yes, we had plans, but I won’t spoil them, because we still have hopes of bringing [Young Justice] back in some way, shape or form someday.

AP2HYC: If Young Justice was renewed, would you want to continue with the same plans you had at the time or would you do something different now?
 
GW: Basically, we’d stay the course.  But it’s not like we had every single little detail nailed down.  We always try to stay flexible to discovery.

AP2HYC: What do you think of the current #RenewYoungJustice campaign?

GW: I thought it was fun that the fans had generated it on their own.  So I retweeted some of the fans’ tweets.  When some irresponsible internet reporters – who clearly didn’t do their homework – claimed that I was behind the campaign, I have to admit it soured me a bit on the whole thing.  For example, a fan provided a studio mailing address for fans to write actual letters to TPTB.  I suggested that if they were going to write letters, they should write polite letters.  Within minutes, it was being reported that I had provided the address, which wasn’t true at all.  That sort of thing, admittedly, ticks me off.

AP2HYC: What is it about the show that has kept people wanting more years after it’s been cancelled? 

 
GW: I assume it’s because they liked it.  Fell in love with the characters, were enthralled by the story, etc.  But that’s not really for me to say.
 
AP2HYC: What is the best thing for fans to do to convince the networks to bring Young Justice back?
 
GW: I honestly don’t know.
 
AP2HYC: Do you think there’s a chance it will happen?
 
GW: I hope so.
 
AP2HYC: Do you want to see Young Justice renewed or would you rather leave it as it is now that you’ve had some distance?
GW: I’d definitely like to see it come back.  Frankly “renew” isn’t really the right word anymore.  Nor is “reboot”. But I’d definitely like to revisit YJ’s Earth-16 the first chance I get.

 

We would too, Greg! What about you? Would you want to see Young Justice come back if some form or do you think it should be left as it is? Make sure you use the #RenewYoungJustice hashtag to send us your thoughts on Twitter!

About the author

David Molofsky

David is the Founder & Editor-in-Cape of AP2HYC.

2 Comments

  • I don’t get it, this is such a titanic step forward in animation. Why was it cancelled??
    I hope it gets another chance