'Batkid Begins' Filmmaker: There's Much More to the Meme

What started out as a humble effort to provide a small, cheering crowd for one special kid snowballed out of control into a worldwide viral sensation. In November 2013, San Francisco was temporarily transformed into Gotham City, complete with costumed super-villains and distressed damsels. It was all part of a city-wide effort in support of Miles Scott, a five-year-old Leukemia patient who wanted to be the Dark Knight — and who wound up saving the day and earning a key to the city.

The Batkid phenomenon was a web-conquering smash that drew millions of supporters over social media; the event became so huge, in fact, that President Obama even got in on it, showing his support in his first-ever Vine message. And as you can see in this exclusive clip from the forthcoming documentary Batkid Begins — which you can watch above — plenty of work went into making the day (planned by the Make-A-Wish Foundation) one for the history books.

Yahoo Movies spoke with Batkid Begins filmmaker Dana Nachman (Witch Hunt, 2008)this week about what Miles is up to now, as well as his reaction to the film, which chronicles the behind-the-scenes labor involved in pulling off one of the biggest coordinated stunts in recent history (Batkid Begins opens in select theaters June 26, and expands to more theaters in July).

I understand Miles aka Batkid, has seen your documentary several times now. What’s been his reaction?
He loved it. I was a little worried about it, because it shows how all the sausage was made for his wish. He said, “Can I watch it again on the next day and the next day?”

At what point did he realize his Batkid heroics were actually make-believe?
The funny thing is, I think he still thinks — even after seeing the movie — that it all happened the way that he remembered it. It’s funny because I also wonder: Where does reality and fantasy collide? And what does that mean for a little kid? I have three little kids and — even though now they know Miles — they still also think it really happened. I think it’s like the Santa phenomenon — and that’s coming from a Jewish lady [laughs]!

How’s he handling his celebrity status?
He is totally back to normal life. We all followed this on social media and on the news, but he’s not exposed to those things. Also, Make-A-Wish’s intention was to have 200 people show up, because that seemed like a crowd for a five-year-old. I don’t think kids have context of what the difference [between] 200 people or 1,000 or 25,000 people. I just think he kind of has no idea [how famous he is], in a weird way, even though he’s seen the film. He just lives his life and enjoys Little League. He’s just finishing first grade. He’s just Miles who can play the part of Batkid sometimes.

The day was a special surprise for him. Was there a backup plan in case he freaked out?
Yes. I know that Patricia [Wilson, executive director at Make-A-Wish] and her team had an A, B, C, and D plan. They would have stayed in the hotel the whole day if they had to and hung out with Batman.

At any point did he get overwhelmed and ask, “What the heck is happening?”
It’s funny, because he’s a really shy, quiet child. God knows what could have happened. The only time throughout the day that he kind of indicated he was done was at lunchtime. He had a burger and fries and my theory is that he got a little food coma. He said, “I’m tired. I’m done saving people for the day.” If that was the case, they would have just stopped the wish. But then his mom and dad were interested in him continuing. They said, “What if Dad goes with you in the car?” And he said, “Oh, OK. I’m good.” Then that was it.

That day was so climactic for him. An estimated 25,000 volunteers were out there cheering him on. Was there any sort of comedown?
For him it was just this amazing day. Actually more like two days: The night before, he trained to become a superhero at the Circus Center. They got a tour of AT&T Park where the San Francisco Giants play.

I think [Batkid day was] a nice culmination of his treatment, and [of] this chapter of his life. I’m not sure kids think about “What’s next?” It just so happened then there was a movie, and then there might be a remake of the movie [laughs]. He was just thrilled. He said if there’s ever any work to be done in Gotham, he’s cool to go back.

What are we going to see in the documentary that we haven’t already seen?
People saw this on social media, Twitter. I think that the reality of the day and the lead-up to it is much different than the 140-character version of what happened. People see this adorable boy and they see him fighting crime and being a superhero. But the film is so much richer than that in that it really tells the story of this community — an entire city that came together to volunteer just to make one great day happen for a little boy. That’s the spirit of the film.

When’s the last time you spoke with Miles? How’s he doing?
I text with his mom every day [laughs]. He’s doing great really. He’s excited to have a nice, quiet summer. They just bought their first home. He’s just living the life of a 6-year-old.

Have you spoken with Julia Roberts about the big-screen biographical version of Batkid’s story?
I know that, if it happens, I’m slated to be an executive producer on it. And it’s very exciting and fun! Other than that, I don’t know much. Warner Bros. bought the rights to both of the movies. Now, because they’re putting out documentary so soon, it’s all hands on deck for that. And then we’ll see what’s next.

Batkid’s story has inspired a lot of tears. Is the movie going to make people cry, too?
Whenever I’m on Twitter, I want to put out the message #HappyTears. I just want people to know it’s not a sad movie. Miles is in really good health now. It’s a very uplifting film, not a sad film. My friend was a wish granter for Make-A-Wish and I always thought, “My god, she’s such a saint. I could never do that. It’s too sad.” But what I didn’t know is that 80 percent of the kids go on to adulthood. That’s something I didn’t know. I think that’s a really important point. It marks the end of a chapter and the beginning of a new, much more positive one.

Watch the trailer for ‘Batkid Begins’: