Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker tells us what to expect from the DC Universe animated series.
“New Gotham” picks up right where season 1 left off.
Freeze (Alfred Molina).
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Their answers involve an actual Harley-Ivy romance, a cooler-than-cool Catwoman, and more.
She had business to attend to.
It was always broken out as her ascension to the top of the food chain of Gothams criminal underbelly.
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It was always about her identity tied up with her career and vocation.
So season 2 is going to continue that, but also focus a lot on her relationship with Ivy.
That focus happens to be quite a bit on her relationship with Ivy in the second season.
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Do I want the responsibility that comes with all the things I may want?
That’s music to my ears.
Theyre a very interesting pair, going all the way back toBatman: The Animated Series.
Over the years theyve been interpreted variously as best friends or romantic interests.
It was mostly platonic in season 1, though we got some good shipper teases.
What can you preview about their relationship in season 2, especially now that the Jokers gone?
SCHUMACKER:I dont want to say that the Jokers completely gone in season 2.
Their relationship definitely takes a romantic turn.
HALPERN:We thought through this season and that relationship before the show had come out.
If you go through a bad breakup, its not just like, whats next?
Breakups come in stages.
We had the luxury of being able to explore what a bad breakup looks like.
SCHUMACKER:Its very messy.
We had written all 26 episodes already.
It did exist, as you said, in little hints.
So this is not to say that we have definite closure in that relationship.
We come to a place thats very clear, but our point is that lifes messy.
You dont get black-and-white things very often.
Ivys dating Kite Man.
Kite Mans not a bad guy, but maybe not the right guy for her.
So when were making story moves, were thinking, how does this affect Kite Man?
How does this affect the crew?
What do you like about working with Kaley and having her be the vessel of the show?
What do you like about it?
I dont want to sound like I’m doing a bad version of someone elses take on it."
Ultimately she felt like she could hit all of the notes better in the way she did it.
She was like, “This is what I want to do.”
Pat and I were torn, but as we got it back, she was absolutely right.
Its impossible to shake for me at this point.
Shes so enthusiastic about this character.
It was a cool departure from the stuff she had been doing for 12 years.
A lot of actors wont do that.
We have some new faces in season 2.
Freeze shows up in the first episode, and we know Catwoman is coming down the pike.
Season 2 was more opportunities to do that.
Michelle Pfeiffers take being so iconic, its just like, Catwoman is so cool.
She has zero fs to give, so how do the other characters react to that?
We ended up making her someone who Ivy actually looks up to.
Ivy is so cynical, Ivy doesnt care about much either, but she cares about Catwomans approval.
That was the comedic game that we played with those characters.
Harleys watching Ivy, like, melt in front of Catwoman because shes so fing cool.
That was really fun to play with.
He walked in and just nailed it.
The opportunity to play with the legend of Mr.
Freeze is a straight-up villain, but we all know hes ultimately a sympathetic character.
Its a weird episode, its super-weird, and its also oddly really touching.
We do get to kind of meet Nora Freeze in a way that we haven’t before.
I don’t want to give away who voices her, but its pretty fun.
People were super into it!
As ridiculous as he can be, his PTSD is certainly based on some semblance of reality.
Its obviously a hyperbolic version of it.
What that would do to your psyche is horrendous.
HALPERN:AlsoChristopher Meloniis so amazing.
Wed worked with him before on a live-action show wed done for Fox.
We tested him, would you be interested in doing this?
He told me his hero is Mel Blanc, so he loves voice work.
Nobody plays barely-keeping-it-together as well as Meloni does.
