‘Kite Man Hell Yeah!’s Finale Will Set up ‘Harley Quinn’ Season 5

Out of all of the potential characters who might have earned their very own Harley Quinn spin-off, little doubt the final particular person anybody would’ve ever imagined is Kite Man (Matt Oberg), the wayward, D-list ex-fiance of Poison Ivy (Lake Bell) — and but it is occurred, in a way so good we could not have written it higher ourselves. Kite Man: Hell Yeah!, which hails from the OG Harley Quinn crew of Dean Lorey, Patrick Schumacker, and Justin Halpern, follows our favourite hopeless supervillain Kite Man as he makes an attempt to take his relationship with Golden Glider (Stephanie Hsu) to the subsequent stage by saving their favourite Gotham dive bar, Noonan’s, from going beneath. What higher manner to try this than by coughing up the money themselves? It seems that working a bar within the shadow of Lex Luthor’s (Lance Reddick) Legion of Doom is a bit of simpler mentioned than achieved, particularly for the reason that duo has to rent an entire new employees to maintain the lights on, but when anybody can push via a seemingly insurmountable job with lots of optimism and an entire lot extra “hell yeah”s, it is our man Kite Man.

Forward of the collection premiere on Max, Collider had the chance to talk with Oberg and Lorey concerning the upcoming spin-off, which boasts every part from a slew of enjoyable Harley Quinn cameos to an absolute powerhouse group of voice actors. Over the course of the interview, which you learn under, Lorey explains why Kite Man was the primary Harley character to get his personal spin-off (though he was solely meant to be a one-off look within the authentic collection), why the writers wish to maintain Kite Man and Golden Glider going sturdy, and the way Kite Man’s extra villainous tendencies will probably be examined this season. The 2 additionally mentioned Kite Man‘s spectacular voice solid, from the late Lance Reddick to Jonathan Banks and Michael Imperioli, how this present will lead into Season 5 of Harley Quinn, and extra.

Dean Lorey Explains the Genesis of ‘Kite Man: Hell Yeah!’

COLLIDER: This present has been in improvement for some time. Dean, as somebody who has been concerned on this universe since Harley Quinn, and even earlier than that, when did these conversations begin about doing a spin-off, and when did the dialog grow to be, “Let’s make it a Kite Man present?”

DEAN LOREY: We had all the time form of joked about, “Would not or not it’s nice to do a spin-off of Harley?” We simply hoped [the show] can be widespread sufficient to justify it. It was across the manufacturing of Season 4 that it began to get actual that they needed a spin-off. We batted round a bunch of concepts, however what actually jazzed us was the concept of doing a Kite Man present as a result of we have been on the lookout for one thing that was totally different from Harley, that may very well be a part of that universe however felt very a lot its personal factor and its personal tone. We cherished the underdog story of Kite Man, who has no powers. He has no talents, actually, aside from flying a kite. His dad thinks he is nugatory, he simply acquired damaged up with, and we thought, “Would not or not it’s nice to see that man should face one of many best threats to the DC Universe that has ever existed? How would he do it? What a fantastic writing problem that may be.”

And Matt, we now have cherished from the start. We wrote Kite Man for him, and we all the time needed him to do it. Initially, it was simply gonna be a bit of one-off. He was simply gonna seem within the bar mitzvah episode in Season 1, and we fell in love with the character, and different individuals did too, and we simply stored writing to him. So, it simply appeared to make sense that we might choose probably the most surprising alternative for our first spin-off, and that is why we went there.

Matt, what was your response to discovering out that there can be a spin-off, and that it will be for Kite Man?

MATT OBERG: I believed it was a extremely unhealthy concept. [Laughs] “Are you certain?” was my response. No, I used to be so excited. I didn’t actually see that coming — I do not suppose anybody did — so I used to be thrilled to have an opportunity to work with this crew once more and do that character extra. I feel what Dean mentioned: you need to have one thing totally different than Harley. So, why not, as a substitute of one of many coolest characters main the present, have one of many least cool? Go the different manner. The present that nobody actually needed. Do that one and see what occurs.

LOREY: One of many issues about making Harley that I all the time cherished was that we might all the time attempt to put within the jokes and runs and issues that may usually fall out of a script over drafts. We’d all the time attempt to put these left turns in, and maintain them in, though possibly we have been becoming bored of them. That was a part of the enchantment of doing Kite Man; it was our first intuition. It was like, “Let’s simply do it. Let’s honor that as a result of that is what we have been enthusiastic about doing.”

The ‘Kite Man: Hell Yeah!’ Writers Need to Hold Kite Man and Golden Glider Collectively

Kite Man is coming off of a breakup, however in his personal present, he is on this thrilling new relationship with Golden Glider, who actually matches his freak in lots of methods. Their relationship improvement seems like a stable anchor for the story. Is the plan to maintain them collectively as a pair and have them climate these ups and downs? We’ve talked to Patrick [Schumacker] and Justin [Halpern] before, and so they’ve mentioned they’re not concerned about breaking Harley and Ivy up for drama, so I am questioning if the identical is true for this present.

LOREY: We love them as a pair. We would like to see them keep collectively, and that is our plan. Hopefully, Stephanie Hsu will not get too well-known, and she or he’ll wish to proceed doing it. We love her. We actually needed to see Kite Man in a really wholesome relationship that made sense as a result of initially, after we paired him with Ivy, the joke was that we needed to discover a very D-list villain to point out the type of guys that have been hitting on her. However we actually finally needed to search out what felt like a fantastic match for him and in a wholesome relationship, so we would like to see that proceed.

There is a reveal in an early episode that Kite Man has by no means really killed anybody. It is this massive drop for dramatic impact, but it surely makes him such a captivating dichotomy of a personality to steer this present, which is ready on the earth of supervillains. Is that one thing we’re going see examined a bit extra over the course of the present — how far he may be immersed on this world with out resorting to killing? As a result of you’ve his girlfriend over right here, who’s simply slashing throats left and proper.

LOREY: He actually will get examined. Throughout the course of the season, with out saying an excessive amount of, we discover a very, very totally different aspect of Kite Man, who primarily finds his internal unhealthy man. Is {that a} honest factor to say, Matt?

OBERG: Yeah. You will be seeing the outer limits of my vary. So, one thing to sit up for. It is a fantastic flip. I did not see it coming, and it was a ton of enjoyable. I hope Kite Nation is prepared.

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‘Kite Man: Hell Yeah!’: Cast, Trailer, Release Window, and Everything We Know So Far

What’s Ivy’s outdated flame as much as as of late?

Talking of vary, Matt, how do you’re feeling your efficiency and the position have advanced over your time with the character? Going again to when the expectation was that this is able to be a one-off to the place he’s now, how do you’re feeling you have grown and developed?

OBERG: It is humorous, it used to really feel like extra of a personality. I used to really feel like, “Oh, okay, what is that this voice I am doing and this efficiency I am manufacturing?” After which I might get right into a recording session and be like, “Are you able to play again a few of what it was?” After which I used to be like, “Oh, it is me. It is who I’m.” [Laughs] So, I feel it is grow to be quite a bit simpler to do and just a bit extra pure, possibly. It most likely all the time was, I simply had the time to just accept that.

LOREY: We wrote it for Matt. We had him in thoughts the entire time we have been doing it, and to us, the important thing to the character was it doesn’t matter what he was up towards, he is simply optimistic. He is candy and optimistic, and that is his energy.

‘Kite Man: Hell Yeah!’ Has a Powerhouse Voice Solid, From Jonathan Banks to Lance Reddick

The voice solid consists of so many powerhouses, lots of people that you just would not anticipate to play on this world: Michael Imperioli, Jonathan Banks, Lance Reddick. How do you pitch any such present within the hopes of getting actors like these on board?

LOREY: Effectively, Harley helped as a result of Harley was a success, and it was changing into type of a cool factor to do. We simply went after actors that we cherished and by no means imagined would say sure, and so they nearly all did. We simply stored going, “Effectively, why not ask Jonathan Banks? Possibly he’ll do it.” We simply slowly put collectively the solid that manner. However that is just about how Harley occurred. As soon as we had the primary couple of actors, individuals jumped on. However it’s an exquisite solid. We just about mined all of What We Do within the Shadows for his or her actors. [Laughs]

I did wish to ask about Lance [Reddick] as Lex Luthor. What did he deliver to the position that differentiates it from Giancarlo Esposito and his efficiency in Harley Quinn, whereas additionally feeling like the identical man that we have identified on this world?

LOREY: To begin with, he was great. He actually leaned into the gravity of Lex and the depth of him, whereas Giancarlo was a bit of bit extra of a businessman. We have been shocked and really saddened when he handed, however he had recorded many of the episodes, and so we have been in a position to make use of his work. He is great in it. Really great.

Matt, you talked about that sliding into Kite Man now would not really feel like as a lot of donning a personality because it used to, however I am questioning if there’s nonetheless something that you’ve got that basically helps you get into character, discover the voice, get into the headspace in any respect?

OBERG: It is useful to have a catchphrase in these moments. You simply should say that loud, and it just about takes you the place it is advisable to go. Simply a few “hell yeahs” and also you’re there. Actually, that and that perspective that Dean was speaking about, about simply choosing your self up and, “Hold going, it is gonna be alright,” which isn’t essentially — I am glad that Dean and everyone else noticed that in me, as a result of it is good for individuals to suppose you are optimistic when typically you are not. That spirit, gearing into that, is admittedly useful.

Dean, concerning the bigger Harley Quinn universe, a number of characters cross over into this present. Characters like Bane, for instance, have a stronger presence. How related is Kite Man going to be to Harley Quinn by way of doubtlessly teasing future seasons and organising greater arcs? Or is it extra that these reveals are occurring adjoining to one another in the identical universe?

LOREY: They’re positively in the identical universe. I might say that they largely exist on their very own, though we do share sure issues. With out giving something away, the top of Kite Man Season 1 has a fairly good trace at what Season 5 of Harley goes to contain. However we share the characters throughout all of them. And Bane is a daily on this season. He is a serious character.

Kite Man: Hell Yeah premieres with its first three episodes on Thursday, July 18 on Max within the U.S.

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