When he was 3 years old, Michael Uslan read "Casper" comics in New Jersey barbershops.
Uslan, 57, the originator and executive producer of the Batman movie franchise, said he still feels like a kid.
"I get to report to a sandbox every Monday morning and play with my favorite toys," Uslan said.
He spoke to a crowd of more than 250 on Tuesday evening at the Reitz Union Grand Ballroom. The event was sponsored by Accent, which paid $12,500 for him to speak, according to Student Government Finance.
Uslan fought for years to bring a dark, definitive Batman to movie screens, he said.
"After 'The Dark Knight' opened up the way it did, my wife sat me down and asked me, 'What do you want to be when you grow up?'"
When the movie became the second highest grossing film of all time, Uslan decided to take his success story on the road.
"There's nothing special about me or what I did," he said in a Monday phone interview. "I didn't come from money, and I couldn't buy my way into Hollywood. It was a hell of a long-shot dream."
As a writer, historian and fanatic of comic books, Uslan once owned more than 50,000 comic books dating back to 1936. He donated about 42,000 to Indiana University's rare book library.
"Comics have clearly been an integral part of my life," he said.
And even at 8 years old, Uslan could see himself in "The Caped Crusader."
"His superpower is his humanity, and that's an incredible thing," he said. "His origin is so primal, so compelling, that anyone is able to relate to it."
After obtaining bachelor's and master's degrees from Indiana University, he said he became the world's first college comic professor.
He received phone calls from Stan Lee, co-creator of Marvel Comics, and former president Sol Harrison of DC Comics due to the popularity of his comic folklore and mythology classes.
He was offered a position at DC Comics. It was there that he was given the chance to bring a serious Batman to the silver screen.
Uslan returned to Indiana University to get his law degree because he wanted to gain a background in business to work with production companies. He would work with United Artists as production attorney for movies such as "Apocalypse Now" and "Raging Bull."
To "complete his life's path," he bought the rights to "Batman" but was told it would not succeed as a movie.
"It was a human endurance contest - everybody turned me down," he said.
But after a decade-long struggle, he would begin the Batman movies in 1989 with Tim Burton, which would set the tone for a darker, more realistic portrayal of Batman in "The Dark Knight."
"You don't have to simply say 'hey, this was a great comic book movie,'" he said. "You can say 'hey, this was a great film.'"
Even major films such as "Road to Perdition" and "A History of Violence," which originated as graphic novels, were successful comic adaptations, he said.
"It's a real golden age for comic book film making," he said.
For some student filmmakers, comic book fans and even those who never heard his name, Uslan's story of perseverance was relatable.
"It's still really inspiring to see someone who was on the same level as us," said Amanda Tusing, a UF sophomore.
But for Uslan, Tuesday night's speech was a validation of his journey.
"My mom always said if you believe in something, you have to stand up for it," he said. "You march through hell but you stay committed, and that's what I did, and ultimately all I can say, it's been worth the wait."
