Ahead of this weekend’s Toronto Screenwriting Conference, Playback caught up with writer/producer/director David S. Goyer, whose credits include Man of Steel and collaborating with Christopher Nolan on The Dark Knight trilogy. He is also the creator and executive producer of Starz’s Da Vinci’s Demons and executive producer of NBC’s Constantine.

PB: You have written or co-written a number of screenplays based on existing properties with significant existing fan bases (The Dark Knight, Man of Steel). What are some of the most important things you have learned from working on scripts and storylines that have huge existing fan bases and expectations?

DG: The more well-known or respected the source material is, the more important it is to hew to the critical story features. When you’re dealing with an iconic character like Batman or Superman, in particular, it’s important to remember that the character is more important than you are. Yes, when I was working on those characters, the stories would inevitably be influenced by my personal tastes. But I knew that I had to respect them and respect the audiences’ love for them. My sons look up to Batman and Superman, as do millions, even hundreds of millions of other children – so their view on those icons would be, in part, influenced by our specific depiction. At the same time, there are certain pitfalls inherent in being too slavish to the source material. One of the reasons Batman and Superman continue to endure is that they have constantly evolved with the times. It’s a tightrope walk, deciding when and where it’s appropriate to deviate. With a less-known or original character, you aren’t dealing with expectation. People aren’t bringing their pre-conceived notions to the table. In the case of a comic book property, it’s important to remember that you are creating something that will (hopefully) appeal to not just the core audience, but also the wider audience at large. It can’t be too “inside baseball.”

PB: What do you think screenwriters should know before they agree to work on an adaptation, especially those in the superhero genre?

DG: I think the most successful comic book adaptations are the ones that took their subject matter seriously. I love comic books as a medium. But film is a different medium. It has different criteria in terms of the suspension of disbelief. In the past, before Blade, X-Men, and some of the other comic book films that followed, Hollywood’s approach was often very arch. I’m thinking of films in which the color palette was deliberately primary colors, the acting more cartoonish. Ironically, these films were actually out of touch with the way most comics were being perceived at the time. Comic books really grew up in the ’80s. You had Watchmen, the Dark Knight Returns, Daredevil: Born Again. But a lot of the films made during that time (and even into the ’90s) were still stuck in the Batman ’66 vein.

PB: How do you think the business has changed since you first go into the game?

DG: On one hand, the kind of projects I’m drawn to are now are the name of the game. Every studio is interested in “story universes.” Mining comic books and the like. When I was first adapting Blade, there was a feeling at Marvel and DC that only a handful of their characters were really worth pursuing. When I got the Blade assignment in the mid-’90s, Marvel had just filed for bankruptcy. The powers-that-be couldn’t care less about Blade. He was a tertiary character, at best. They optioned the rights to New Line for a song. It never occurred to them that a minor character could be turned into a franchise. Now, nearly 20 years later, that collective universe is worth countless billions. Characters like [those from] Guardians of the Galaxy, who were also fairly obscure (albeit not as much as Blade) have out-performed even Superman. It was unthinkable back then. And if you look at the really successful films, they’re the ones that didn’t deviate from the source material that much. I think, when you’re dealing with characters that have been around for 30, 40, 50 years or more, there’s a reason why the characters continue to be perennials. A reason why they have stood the test of time.

When I started back in 1989, if I approached a studio or producer with a project that was a comic book adaptation, aside from Spider-Man, X-Men, Batman, or Superman – they would have laughed me out of the office. They did laugh me out of the office. I tried to get dozens of producers and execs interested in various comic book properties. It was only after Blade, and then X-Men, that the floodgates started to open.

On the other hand, I lament the loss of the mid-range film. It’s getting harder and harder to mount an original film, something that isn’t derivative. Something that isn’t a tentpole. And I do worry about how crowded the marketplace is becoming. Can the market sustain 10 huge superhero films being released in a single year? How long before the bubble bursts? I don’t know. We’ve been lucky, so far. Most of the films that have come out in the last decade have been pretty good.

What advice do you have for up-and-coming screenwriters?

DG: Shoot. This is so difficult. There is no one path to becoming a screenwriter. It’s a rarefied group of individuals. Write from your heart? Write what you’re most passionate about? It’s age-old advice, but it’s really true. And while it is harder to get an original or off-beat film made, they do still happen. Look at The Imitation Game. Or Argo. Or Whiplash. Or American Sniper. My friend (Jason Hall) wrote the screenplay for American Sniper – and while everyone is trying to emulate that success now, putting dozens of sniper projects into development, it was a long and winding road to production. Even Gravity bounced around the studio system. Executives will always tell you why your project won’t work. Why it needs more “top-spin” or has to reach more “quadrants.” It’s bullshit, really. Most push-back comes from fear. Everyone wants to have been involved in something original after the fact. But it’s hard to get people to back something that feels genuinely fresh. You just have to stick to your guns.

The Toronto Screenwriting Conference will be held on April 11 and April 12 at the Daniels Spectrum.