Paul McClaran Dini (; born August 7, 1957) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

and comic creator. He has been a producer and writer for several

Warner Bros. Animation Warner Bros. Animation Inc. is an American animation studio which is part of the Warner Bros. Television Studios division of Warner Bros., a flagship of Warner Bros. Discovery. As the successor to Warner Bros. Cartoons, which was active from 1 ...

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anim ...

series, most notably '' Batman: The Animated Series'' (1992–1995), and the subsequent

DC Animated Universe The DC Animated Universe (DCAU; also referred to as the Timmverse or Diniverse by fans referring to the creators and producers Bruce Timm and Paul Dini respectively) is a shared universe consisting primarily of superhero-based animated televi ...

. Dini and

Bruce Timm Bruce Walter Timm (born February 5, 1961) is an American artist, animator, writer, and producer. He has contributed to building the modern DC Comics animated franchise, most notably '' Batman: The Animated Series'' (1992–1995) and the subseque ...

co-created the characters

Harley Quinn Harley Quinn is a character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Quinn was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm as a comic relief henchwoman for the supervillain Joker (character), Joker in ''Batman: The An ...

and

Terry McGinnis Batman (Terrence "Terry" McGinnis Wayne) is a fictional superhero appearing in media published by DC Entertainment. The character was created by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini and first appeared in the pilot episode of the animated television series ...

. Dini began writing for

on ''

Tiny Toon Adventures ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' is an American animated comedy television series that was broadcast from September 14, 1990, to December 6, 1992. It was the first collaborative effort of Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television and Warner Bros. Animation ...

''. In addition to ''Batman: The Animated Series'', Dini was a writer for '' Superman: The Animated Series'' (1996–2000), writer and co-creator for ''

The New Batman Adventures ''The New Batman Adventures'' (often shortened as ''TNBA'') is an American superhero animated television series based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, which aired on Kids' WB from September 13, 1997 to January 16, 1999. Produced by Warner Bro ...

'' (1997–1999), and writer and developer for ''

Batman Beyond ''Batman Beyond'' (known as ''Batman of the Future'' outside the United States) is an American superhero animated television series developed by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Alan Burnett. It was produced by Warner Bros. Animation in collaboration ...

'' (1999–2001). He also co-created ''

Freakazoid! ''Freakazoid!'' is an American superhero comedy animated television series created by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini and developed by Tom Ruegger for the Kids' WB programming block of The WB. The series chronicles the adventures of the title characte ...

'' (1995–1997) with Timm, produced ''

Duck Dodgers Duck Dodgers is the metafictional star of a series of cartoons produced by Warner Bros., featuring Daffy Duck in the role of a science fiction hero. He first appeared in the 1953 cartoon short ''Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century'', directed b ...

'' (2003–2005), developed and scripted ''

Krypto the Superdog ''Krypto the Superdog'' is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation, based on Superman's canine companion Krypto, which premiered on Cartoon Network on March 25, 2005 (exactly 50 years after his comic debut), an ...

'' (2005–2006). After leaving Warner Bros. Animation in early 2004, Dini went on to write and story edit the first season of the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

adventure series ''

Lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

''. Dini wrote the storylines for the '' Batman: Arkham Asylum'' and '' Batman: Arkham City'' video games. In 2010, he created the live action drama series ''

Tower Prep ''Tower Prep'' is an American-Canadian 13-episode live-action teen science-fiction television series created by Paul Dini for Cartoon Network. It aired between October 12 to December 28, 2010. Prior to ''Tower Prep'', Dini was a producer and wri ...

'' for

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...

. He has written a number of comic books for

. Dini and Timm collaborated on '' The Batman Adventures: Mad Love'', which won the

Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...

for Best Single Story in 1994. Dini and illustrator

Alex Ross Nelson Alexander Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an American comic book writer and artist known primarily for his painted interiors, covers, and design work. He first became known with the 1994 miniseries ''Marvels'', on which he collaborated wi ...

created the

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

s '' Superman: Peace on Earth'', '' Batman: War on Crime'', ''

Shazam! Power of Hope ''Shazam! Power of Hope'' is a 64-page DC Treasury prestige format graphic novel published by DC Comics in November 2000. Written by Paul Dini with painted art by Alex Ross, ''Shazam!: Power of Hope'' is a tale of a superhero using his powers in t ...

'', and '' Wonder Woman: Spirit of Truth''. His original creations include

Jingle Belle Jingle Belle is a fictional comics character created by Paul Dini. The spoiled teenage daughter of Santa Claus, she has a humorously contentious relationship with her famous father. She is usually motivated by feeling unappreciated or being jea ...

Sheriff Ida Red ''Mutant, Texas: Tales of Sheriff Ida Red'' is a four-issue comic book miniseries created and written by Paul Dini and illustrated by J. Bone, published by Oni Press in 2002. The stories take place in a mythical West Texas town changed by a release ...

, and

Madame Mirage Madame Mirage is a fictional character, a superheroine from American comics publisher Top Cow Productions. She was created by Paul Dini. Overview Murder, intrigue, and revenge with superpowers: the story of Madame Mirage takes place in a world whe ...

Early life

Paul Dini was born on August 7, 1957 in New York City to Patricia (McClaran) and Robert Dini, an advertising executive. He is of

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

descent through his father. Dini attended

Stevenson School Stevenson School (also known as Robert Louis Stevenson School and abbreviated as RLS) is a coeducational, private school for boarding and day students in preschool through twelfth grade. Its high school and Pre-K through eighth-grade campuses are ...

Pebble Beach Pebble Beach is an unincorporated community on the Monterey Peninsula in Monterey County, California. The small coastal residential community of mostly single-family homes is also notable as a resort destination, and the home of the golf course ...

, California on an art scholarship. He attended

Emerson College Emerson College is a private college with its main campus in Boston, Massachusetts. It also maintains campuses in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California and Well, Limburg, Netherlands ( Kasteel Well). Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a ...

in Boston, where he earned a BFA degree in

creative writing Creative writing is any writing that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified by an emphasis on narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary ...

. During college, he began doing

freelance ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...

animation scripts for

Filmation Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live-action programming for television from 1963 until 1989. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1962. Filmation's founders and pr ...

, and a number of other studios. In 1984, he was hired to work for

George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairm ...

on several of his animation projects. Dini later returned to the ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...

'' universe in 2007 to script several episodes of '' Star Wars: The Clone Wars''.

Career

1980s

Dini wrote episodes for the 1983–1985 animated TV series, ''

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe ''He-Man and the Masters of the Universe'' is an American animated television series produced by Filmation based on Mattel's toy line ''Masters of the Universe''. The show, often referred to as simply ''He-Man'', was one of the most popular anima ...

'', as well as contributing to interviews on the released box sets of the series. He wrote an episode for the ''

Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical Studies Rules ...

'' cartoon in 1983, an episode of the Generation One ''

Transformers ''Transformers'' is a media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Takara Tomy. It primarily follows the Autobots and the Decepticons, two alien robot factions at war that can transform into other forms, suc ...

'' cartoon series, "The Dweller in The Depths," an episode of the 1985 ''

G.I. Joe ''G.I. Joe'' is an American media franchise and a line of action figures owned and produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier ( U.S. Army), Ac ...

'' cartoon called "Jungle Trap", and contributed to various episodes of the '' Star Wars: Ewoks'' animated series, several of which included rare appearances from the

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

1990s

In 1989, Dini was hired at

to work on ''

''. Later, he moved onto '' Batman: The Animated Series'', where he worked as a writer, producer and editor, later working on '' Superman: The Animated Series'', ''

'', and ''

''. Dini was the writer for the episode Heart of Ice, which redefined

Mr. Freeze Mr. Freeze is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Dave Wood, Sheldon Moldoff and Bob Kane, and first appeared in ''Batman'' #121 in February 1959 as the ice-based criminal Mr. Ze ...

as a tragic character and won a

Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...

for Outstanding Writing in an Animated Program. He continued working with WB animation, working on a number of internal projects, including ''

'' and ''

'', until 2004. In 1989 and 1990, he contributed scripts to the live-action television horror anthology series ''

Monsters A monster is a type of fictional creature found in horror, fantasy, science fiction, folklore, mythology and religion. Monsters are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive with a strange, grotesque appearance that causes terror and fe ...

'': " One Wolf's Family" and " Talk Nice to Me". Along with

, he created the animated series ''

''. He has earned five

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

awards for his animation work. In a related effort, Dini was the co-author with

Chip Kidd Charles Kidd (born 1964) is an American graphic designer known for book covers. Early childhood Born in Shillington in Berks County, Pennsylvania, Kidd grew up being fascinated and heavily inspired by American popular culture. Comic books w ...

of ''

Batman Animated ''Batman Animated'' is a coffee table book written by Paul Dini and designed by Chip Kidd, about the popular TV show '' Batman: The Animated Series''. It was first published in a hardcover edition in 1998 by Titan Books. A paperback edition of th ...

'', a 1998 non-fiction coffee table book about the animated Batman franchise. Dini and

introduced

in ''Batman: The Animated Series'' as her first appearance was the episode "Joker's Favor" and in 1994, they adapted the character into comics in '' The Batman Adventures: Mad Love'' one-shot. In 1994, Dini and Timm won both the

for Best Single Story and the

Harvey Award The Harvey Awards are given for achievement in comic books. Named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards were founded by Gary Groth in 1988, president of the publisher Fantagraphics, to be the successor to the Kirby Awards that were ...

for Best Single Issue or Story for ''Mad Love''. Dini won the same Eisner prize the next year as well, for ''Batman Adventures Holiday Special'', (a one-shot with several Christmas-themed stories) with Timm,

Ronnie del Carmen Ronnie del Carmen (born December 31, 1959) is a Filipino animation writer, director, story artist, story supervisor and production designer. He co-directed and was one of the story writers for the 2015 Pixar film '' Inside Out'', for which he ...

, and others. Harley Quinn was integrated into the mainstream DC Comics continuity in the ''Batman: Harley Quinn'' one-shot published in 1999. In ''Batman Beyond'', Dini and Timm co-created

, the teenage Batman of the future, and his supporting cast. Dini has written several comics stories for DC Comics, including an oversized

series illustrated by painter

featuring

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...

('' Superman: Peace on Earth''),

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...

('' Batman: War on Crime''), Shazam (''

''),

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...

('' Wonder Woman: Spirit of Truth''), and the

Justice League The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...

(''Secret Origins'' and ''Liberty and Justice''). A hardcover collection of the Dini and Ross stories was published in 2005 under the title ''

The World's Greatest Super-Heroes ''The World's Greatest Super-Heroes'' is a hardcover anthology collection of six oversized graphic novels published by DC Comics and created by artist Alex Ross and writer Paul Dini. The collection was released on July 6, 2005. Publication his ...

''. Among Dini's original creations is

, the rebellious teen-age daughter of

Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a Legend, legendary figure originating in Western Christianity, Western Christian culture who is said to Christmas gift-bringer, bring ...

2000s

In 2002, Dini created

, the super-powered

cowgirl A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaquer ...

star of a series of books set in Dini's mythical town of

Mutant, Texas ''Mutant, Texas: Tales of Sheriff Ida Red'' is a four-issue comic book miniseries created and written by Paul Dini and illustrated by J. Bone, published by Oni Press in 2002. The stories take place in a mythical West Texas town changed by a release ...

. He collaborated with

Kevin Smith Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American filmmaker, actor, comedian, comic book writer, author, YouTuber, and podcaster. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy buddy film ''Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, co ...

on '' Clerks: The Animated Series''. He and Bruce Timm collaborated on the ''Harley and

Ivy ''Hedera'', commonly called ivy (plural ivies), is a genus of 12–15 species of evergreen climbing or ground-creeping woody plants in the family Araliaceae, native to western, central and southern Europe, Macaronesia, northwestern Africa and ...

'' limited series for DC in 2004. Dini became the writer for DC Comics' ''

Detective Comics ''Detective Comics'' is an American comic book series published by Detective Comics, later shortened to DC Comics. The first volume, published from 1937 to 2011 (and later continued in 2016), is best known for introducing the superhero Batman i ...

'' as of issue #821 (Sept. 2006) and created a new version of the

Ventriloquist Ventriloquism, or ventriloquy, is a performance act of stagecraft in which a person (a ventriloquist) creates the illusion that their voice is coming from elsewhere, usually a puppeteered prop known as a "dummy". The act of ventriloquism is v ...

in #827 (March 2007). While

Grant Morrison Grant Morrison, MBE (born 31 January 1960) is a Scottish comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. Their work is known for its nonlinear narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, w ...

was starting a seven-year Batman story on the ''Batman'' title composed of long, interlinking arcs, Dini wrote a number of single-issue stories over the following year as well as two crossovers with Morrison's Batman, one focusing on

the resurrection of Ra's al Ghul "The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul" is the name of an eight issue comic book crossover story arc published by DC Comics in 2007 and 2008. It involves the return of notable Batman villain Ra's al Ghul, and is his first appearance since his apparen ...

and another on the return of

Hush Hush may refer to: Film and television * ''Hush'' (1921 film), starring Clara Kimball Young * ''Hush'' (1998 film), starring Gwyneth Paltrow * ''Hush!'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film directed by Ryosuke Hashiguchi * ''Hush'' (2005 film), starring ...

. After Morrison's " Batman R.I.P." storyline in 2009, creators were moved around titles and Dini started writing two new Batman titles '' Batman: Streets of Gotham'' and ''

Gotham City Sirens ''Gotham City Sirens'' is an American comic book series that was written by Paul Dini with art by Guillem March and published by DC Comics. The term ''Gotham City Sirens'' refers to three of the most popular female villains inhabiting Gotham City: ...

''. ''Streets of Gotham'' started and ended with story arcs about Hush while ''Gotham City Sirens'' focused on the women of Gotham; he wrote the bulk of both titles during their existence including the first and last issue of both. In 2006 he announced that he was writing a hardcover graphic novel starring

Zatanna Zatanna Zatara () is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson, and first appeared in '' Hawkman'' #4 (November 1964). Zatanna is a stage magician with a ...

and

Black Canary The Black Canary is the name of two superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics: Dinah Drake and her daughter Dinah Laurel Lance. The original version was created by the writer-artist team of Robert Kanigher and ...

. In 2006, Dini was on the writing staff for the first season of the

adventure series ''

''. The ''Lost'' writers were awarded at the 2006 Writers Guild of America Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Writing for a Dramatic Television Series. The following year he was the head writer of DC's weekly series, ''

Countdown A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...

''. Dini co-wrote a draft script for the ill-fated ''

Science Ninja Team Gatchaman is a Japanese animated franchise about a five-member superhero ninja team created by Tatsuo Yoshida and produced by Tatsunoko Productions. The original anime series, which debuted in 1972, was eponymously entitled ''Kagaku Ninja-tai Gatchaman ...

'' movie, which never saw the light of day and resulted in him leaving the project. Dini wrote a series for

Top Cow Productions Top Cow Productions is an American comics publisher, an imprint of Image Comics founded by Marc Silvestri in 1992. History During the early years of Image Comics, which was founded in 1992, co-founder Marc Silvestri shared a studio with Jim Le ...

, based in a character he created,

. In July 2008, Dini started a partnership with

GoAnimate Vyond (formerly known as GoAnimate until 2018; stylized as ''Go!Animate'' until 2013) is an American cloud-based animated video creation platform. History Vyond was founded as GoAnimate in 2007 by Alvin Hung, and the first version of GoAnimat ...

to launch his Super Rica & Rashy series on the platform. Dini returned to Batman animated adaptations to write the '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'' episode "Legends of the Dark Mite". In the same episode, he appeared in an animated form wearing Harley Quinn's costume in a comic book convention parody scene, along with Bruce Timm wearing Joker's costume next to him. He would go on to write several additional episodes for the series, including "Chill of the Night!", which contained a team-up between Batman and

, one of Dini's favorite characters. Dini penned the storyline for the

Rocksteady Studios Rocksteady Studios Limited is a British video game developer based in London, England. The company is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and the studio is best known for its work in the '' Batman: Arkham'' series. History ...

video game '' Batman: Arkham Asylum'', released on August 25, 2009. He wrote three episodes of '' Star Wars: The Clone Wars'': "Cloak of Darkness," "Holocron Heist," and "Voyage of Temptation." On February 14, 2008 the first edition of Dini's column, "200 Words with Paul Dini" was released on the

iFanboy ''iFanboy'' is a weekly audio podcast which focuses on comic books, comic book publishing, and comic book creators. It stars Josh Flanagan, Ron Richards, and Conor Kilpatrick. The first episode of the audio podcast was released on November 2, 20 ...

site.

2010s

Dini is the main creator of the live action drama ''

series. On August 4, 2010, it was confirmed that Dini will be involved in Marvel Comics' upcoming animated series ''

Ultimate Spider-Man ''Ultimate Spider-Man'' is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2011. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of the company's Ultimate ...

'', which aired on Disney XD in 2012. He worked on ''

Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. ''Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.'' is an American animated television series based on the superhero character by Marvel Comics. The series premiered on August 11, 2013, on Disney XD as part of the ''Marvel Universe'' block, and ended on June 2 ...

'', an animated series centered around the

Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk' ...

and his supporting cast. Dini worked with Rocksteady studios once again to create '' Batman: Arkham City'', which was a sequel to '' Batman: Arkham Asylum''. He wrote a five-issue

comic series This page provides lists of best-selling comic book series to date. It includes Japanese manga, American comic books, and European comics. This list includes comic books that have sold at least 100million copies. There are three separate lists, ...

set in the game continuity. A building in Arkham City is named Dini Towers in tribute. He did not write the storyline of the third Rocksteady game in the series, '' Batman: Arkham Knight'', due to the company not wanting to hire freelance writers for future games. Dini wrote the script for ''Bloodspell'', an original graphic novel starring

and

. He also performed rewrites on Disney's

dark fantasy Dark fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy literary, artistic, and cinematic works that incorporate disturbing and frightening themes of fantasy. It often combines fantasy with elements of horror or has a gloomy dark tone or a sense of horror and dr ...

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

Maleficent Maleficent ( or ) is a fictional character who appears as the main antagonist in Walt Disney Productions' 16th animated feature film, ''Sleeping Beauty'' (1959). She is represented as an evil fairy and the self-proclaimed " Mistress of All Evil ...

''. His graphic novel '' Dark Night: A True Batman Story'', based on a mugging he experienced in 1993, was published in June 2016. Dini wrote the "Actionland!" chapter in ''Action Comics'' #1000 (June 2018) which was drawn by

José Luis García-López José Luis García-López (born March 26, 1948) is a Spanish-Argentine comics artist who works in the United States, particularly in a long-running relationship with DC Comics. In addition to his storytelling art, he has been responsible for produ ...

and

Kevin Nowlan Kevin Nowlan (born 1958) is an American comics artist who works as a penciler, inker, colorist, and letterer. He has been called "one of the few artists who can be called 'artists's artist'", a master of the various disciplines of comic producti ...

. Paul Dini and his wife, magician

Misty Lee Misty may refer to: Music * Misty (Ray Stevens album), ''Misty'' (Ray Stevens album), an album by Ray Stevens featuring the above song * Misty (Richard "Groove" Holmes album), ''Misty'' (Richard "Groove" Holmes album), an album by Richard "Groove" ...

, created an online interview feature called "Monkey Talk" on

's website,

Quick Stop Entertainment Fred Entertainment (formerly Movie Poop Shoot and later Quick Stop Entertainment) is a pop-culture website. The site was founded as Movie Poop Shoot by director Kevin Smith to promote the 2001 movie ''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back''. The site serv ...

.com. Dini and Misty Lee appeared on Ken Reid's ''TV Guidance Counselor'' podcast on April 6, 2016.

2020s

In September 2020,

announced that Dini would be among the creators of a revived ''Batman: Black and White'' anthology series to debut on December 8, 2020. Dini wrote the prequel to ''

Scoob! ''SCOOB!'' is a 2020 American computer-animated mystery comedy film produced by the Warner Animation Group, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is a reboot (fiction), reboot of the Scooby-Doo in film, theatrical'' Scooby-Doo'' film se ...

'', ''Scoob! Holiday Haunt'', set to release through

HBO Max HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netw ...

. It was canceled in August 2022 by

Warner Bros. Discovery Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (WBD) is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at 230 Park Avenue South in New York City. It was formed after the spin-off of WarnerMedia by AT&T, and its merger with D ...

Personal life

Dini and his wife

, a magician and voiceover actress, live in Los Angeles. Their two

Boston terrier The Boston Terrier is a breed of dog originating in the United States of America. This "American Gentleman" was accepted in 1893 by the American Kennel Club as a non-sporting breed. Color and markings are important when distinguishing this breed f ...

s, Mugsy and Deuce, were featured in "Anger Management", a 2012 episode of ''

The Dog Whisperer ''Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan'' is a reality television series that featured dog trainer Cesar Millan's work with problem dogs. After nine seasons, the series finale aired on September 15, 2012. Episodes of ''Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan ...

'', in which they sought

Cesar Millan César Felipe Millán Favela (; ; born August 27, 1969) is a Mexican-American dog trainer. He is widely known for his Emmy-nominated television series ''Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan'', which was produced from 2004 to 2012 and is broadcast in ...

's help with their dogs' behavioral problems. Around this time, Dini began an extensive weight loss and exercise regimen which combined dog obedience training.

Screenwriting credits

Television

Head writer credits are denoted in bold *''

The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle %26 Jeckle ''The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle & Jeckle'' is a 1979–1980 television series featuring newly produced Mighty Mouse and Heckle & Jeckle cartoons. The series was produced by Filmation, and aired from 1979 to 1980 on CBS with 96 epi ...

'' (1979) *''

Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle ''Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle'' is an American animated series created by the Filmation studio for Saturday mornings on CBS, starting in 1976. This was the first animated series about the jungle hero. There are 36 episodes produced over four seas ...

'' (1979) *''

Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids ''Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids'' is an American animated television series created, produced, and hosted (in live action bookends) by comedian Bill Cosby, who also lent his voice to a number of characters, including Fat Albert and himself. Fil ...

'' (1980) *''

Sport Billy ''Sport Billy'' is a 1980 animated television cartoon made by Filmation Associates, initially for broadcast in Germany. The series was a single 26 episode saga that premiered in Germany and other parts of Europe from 1980 to 1981. In 1982, Filma ...

'' (1980) *''

The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam! ''The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam!'' is an NBC Saturday-morning cartoon produced by Filmation Studios in 1981. The half-hour show included two cartoon stories, with a variety of live-action wraparound segments. '' Hero High'' featured a gr ...

'' (1981–1982) *''

Gilligan%27s Planet ''Gilligan's Planet'' is an American Saturday morning animated series produced by Filmation and MGM/UA Television which aired during the 1982–1983 season on CBS. It was the second animated spin-off of the sitcom '' Gilligan's Island'' (the f ...

'' (1982) *''

The Gary Coleman Show ''The Gary Coleman Show'' is a 30-minute Saturday morning animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that originally aired on NBC during the 1982–1983 season. The series featured Gary Coleman as the voice of Andy LeBeau, an apprenti ...

'' (1982) *''

'' (1983) *''

Mister T Mr. T (born Laurence Tureaud, May 21, 1952), is an American actor. He is known for his roles as B. A. Baracus in the 1980s television series ''The A-Team'' and as boxer Clubber Lang in the 1982 film ''Rocky III''. He is also known for his dis ...

'' (1983) *''

Saturday Supercade ''Saturday Supercade'' is an American animated television series produced for Saturday mornings by Ruby-Spears Productions. It ran for two seasons on CBS. Premise Each episode is composed of several shorter segments featuring video game characte ...

'' (1983) *''

The Incredible Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book a ...

'' (1983) *''

'' (1983–1984) *''

The New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show ''The New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show'' is the sixth incarnation of the Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoon ''Scooby-Doo''. It premiered on September 10, 1983, featuring the return of Daphne, and ran for one season on ABC as a half-hour program ...

'' (1984) *'' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' (1985) *'' Star Wars: Droids'' (1985) *''

Ewoks The Ewoks (singular: Ewok) are a fictional species of small, furry, mammaloid, bipeds in the '' Star Wars'' universe. They inhabit the forest moon of Endor and live in arboreal huts and other simple dwellings, being seen as primitive in comp ...

'' (1986) *'' The Transformers'' (1986) *'' Jem'' (1987) *''

Pound Puppies Pound Puppies is a toy line that was created by Tonka in the 1980s. It later inspired an animated TV special, two animated TV series, and a feature film. Shipments of the toys over five years generated sales of $300 million in 35 countries. Toy ...

'' (1987) *''

The Smurfs ''The Smurfs'' (french: Les Schtroumpfs; nl, De Smurfen) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. ''The Smurfs'' was first created and in ...

'' (1987) *''

Garbage Pail Kids ''Garbage Pail Kids'' is a series of sticker trading cards produced by the Topps Company, originally released in 1985 and designed to parody the ''Cabbage Patch Kids'' dolls, which were popular at the time. Each sticker card features a Garbage ...

'' (1988) *''

The New Adventures of Beany and Cecil ''The New Adventures of Beany and Cecil'' was a very short-lived revival of Bob Clampett's ''Beany and Cecil''. It was produced in 1988 by DIC Animation City. Only five half-hour episodes aired out of the thirteen in production during its origin ...

'' (1988) *'' Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures'' (1990) *''

'' (1990) *''

'' (1990–1992, 1995) *'' Cap%27n O. G. Readmore'' (1992) *'' Batman: The Animated Series'' (1992–1995) *''

Taz-Mania ''Taz-Mania'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Warner Bros. Animation from 1991 to 1995, broadcast in the United States on Fox Kids. The show follows the adventures of the ''Looney Tunes'' character Taz ( the Tasmanian Devil) in the f ...

'' (1993) *''

Animaniacs ''Animaniacs'' is an American animated comedy musical television series created by Tom Ruegger for Fox Broadcasting Company's Fox Kids block in 1993, before moving to The WB in 1995, as part of its Kids' WB afternoon programming block, unti ...

'' (1994) *''

'' (1995) *'' Superman: The Animated Series'' (1996–2000) *''

'' (1997–1999) *''

'' (1999–2001) *'' Clerks: The Animated Series'' (2000) *''

'' (2003) *''

Static Shock ''Static Shock'' is an American superhero fiction, superhero List of animated television series, animated television series based on the Milestone Media/DC Comics superhero Static (DC Comics), Static. It premiered on September 23, 2000, on the W ...

'' (2003) *''

'' (2003–2005) *''

'' (2004) *''

Ozzy %26 Drix ''Ozzy & Drix'' is an American animated television series based on the 2001 film ''Osmosis Jones''. It serves as a spiritual successor to the film. It centers on Osmosis "Ozzy" Jones, a cheeky-chappy white blood cell, and Drix, a level-headed co ...

'' (2004) *''

Justice League Unlimited ''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is a 2004–2006 American superhero animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and ...

'' (2004) *''

'' (2005) *''

The Batman Batman is a fictional superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Batman or The Batman may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media Characters * Batman (Terry McGinnis) * Batman (Thomas Wayne) * Batman (Earth-Two) * Bat ...

'' (2007) *'' Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' (2008–2010) *'' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'' (2009–2011) *''

Sym-Bionic Titan ''Sym-Bionic Titan'' is an American animated television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky (in his fourth collaboration with the channel), Bryan Andrews and Paul Rudish for Cartoon Network. The series focuses on a trio consisting of the alien ...

'' (2010) *''

'' (2012–2015) *''

'' (2013–2015) *''

New Looney Tunes ''New Looney Tunes'', originally titled ''Wabbit: A Looney Tunes Production'' in the US and ''Bugs!'' in some markets for its first season, is an American animated television series from Warner Bros. Animation based on the characters from ''Loon ...

'' (2015) *'' Avengers Assemble'' (2016) *''

The 7D ''The 7D'' is an American animated television series produced by Disney Television Animation, which premiered on Disney XD on July 7, 2014. It is a re-imagining of the title characters from the 1937 film ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' by W ...

'' (2016) *''

Justice League Action ''Justice League Action'' is an American superhero animated television series based on the DC Comics superhero team Justice League. The series is produced by Jim Krieg, Butch Lukic, and Alan Burnett. The show debuted on Cartoon Network UK on Nov ...

'' (2016–2017) *''

Creepshow ''Creepshow'' is a 1982 American horror comedy anthology film directed by George A. Romero and written by Stephen King, making this film his screenwriting debut. The film's ensemble cast includes Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, Fritz Weaver, Le ...

'' (2019, 2021)

Films

*'' Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation'' (1992) *'' Batman: Mask of the Phantasm'' (1993) *''

Double Dragon is a beat 'em up video game series initially developed by Technōs Japan and released as an arcade game in 1987. The series features twin martial artists, Billy and Jimmy Lee, as they fight against various adversaries and rivals. The original ...

'' (1994) *'' Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker'' (2000) *''

Chase Me ''Chase Me'' is a 2003 American direct-to-video animated short film based on the animated series ''The New Batman Adventures''. The film was released as a bonus feature on the DVD for '' Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman'' in the U.S. on October ...

'' (2003) *''

Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo ''Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo'' is a 2010 direct-to-DVD animated comedy horror mystery fantasy film, and the fourteenth entry in a series of direct-to-video animated films based upon the ''Scooby-Doo'' Saturday morning cartoons. The film is directe ...

'' (2010) *'' DC Showcase: Catwoman'' (2011) *''

Scooby-Doo! and the Spooky Scarecrow The following is a list of the various media from the ''Scooby-Doo'' franchise which includes series, specials, films, video games, comics and theatrical productions. Television series Seasonal shows Crossover episodes Films Animated films ...

'' (2013) *''

Tom and Jerry%27s Giant Adventure ''Tom and Jerry's Giant Adventure'' is a 2013 animated fantasy comedy direct-to-video film starring Tom and Jerry, produced by Warner Bros. Animation. Tom and Jerry are the faithful servants of Jack, son of the founder of a struggling storybook a ...

'' (2013) *''

'' (2014) (uncredited revisions) *'' Tom and Jerry: Back to Oz'' (2016) *'' Scoob! Holiday Haunt'' (unreleased)

Bibliography

Bongo Comics

* ''Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror'' #2, 9 (1996, 2003) * ''

Simpsons Comics The following is a list of comic book series published by Bongo Comics based on the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. The first comic strips based on ''The Simpsons'' appeared in 1991 in the magazine ''Simpsons Illustrated'' (no ...

'' #52, 193 (2000, 2012) * ''Simpsons Comics Winter Wingding'' #1, 3 (2006, 2008)

Dark Horse

* ''

'' vol.2 #1–4 (2004–2005) * ''Jingle Belle: The Fight Before Christmas'' (2005) * ''The Bakers Meet Jingle Belle'' (2006)

DC Comics

* ''

Action Comics ''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/Comic anthology, magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as National Allied Publications, and later as National Comics ...

'' #975, 1000 (2017–2018) * ''

Adventures in the DC Universe While Batman and Superman had their own animated series and comic book follow-ups, the rest of the characters in the would appear in the following comics often. ''The Batman Adventures'' ''The Batman Adventures'' was created as a comic book tie ...

'' #3 backup story (1997) * ''Batgirl Adventures'' #1 (1998) * ''

'' vol.1 #685 (2009), vol.3 Annual #1 (2016) * '' Batman: Arkham City'' #1–4, 6–7 igital #1–5

rint C mathematical operations are a group of functions in the standard library of the C programming language implementing basic mathematical functions. All functions use floating-point numbers in one manner or another. Different C standards provid ...

(2011) * ''

Batman Black and White ''Batman Black and White'' refers to the comic book limited series published by DC Comics featuring 8-page black and white Batman stories. Volumes 1, 4 and 5 of the series feature all-new stories (published in 1996, 2013–14, and 2020–21, respe ...

'' vol. 2 (2002), vol. 4 #3 (2014), vol. 5 # 1 (2020) * '' Batman: Gotham Knights'' #14 backup story (2001) * ''Batman: Harley and Ivy'' #1–3 (2004) * ''Batman: Harley Quinn'' #1 (1999) * ''Batman: Mr. Freeze'' #1 (1998) * '' Batman: Streets of Gotham'' #1–4, 7, 10–14, 16–21 (2009–2011) * '' Batman: The Adventures Continue'' #1–14 igital #1–5

(2020–present) * '' Batman: War on Crime'' (1999) * ''

The Batman Adventures ''The Batman Adventures'' is a DC Comics comic book series featuring Batman. It is different from other ''Batman'' titles because it is set in the continuity (and style) of '' Batman: The Animated Series'', as opposed to the regular DC Universe. ...

'' Annual 1–2, ''Holiday Special'', '' Mad Love'' (1994–1995) * ''The Batman and Robin Adventures'' #1–3, 8, 17, Annual 1 (1995–1997) * ''Batman and Superman Adventures: World's Finest'' (1997) * ''Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell'' (2015) * ''

Countdown to Final Crisis ''Countdown'', also known as ''Countdown to Final Crisis'' for its last 24 issues based on the cover, was a comic book Limited series (comics), limited series published by DC Comics. It debuted on May 9, 2007, directly following the conclusion of ...

'' #51–1 (2007–2008) * '' Dark Night: A True Batman Story'' (2016) * ''DC Infinite Halloween Special'' #1 (2007) * ''DC Nuclear Winter Special'' #1 (2018) * ''DCU Holiday Special'' #1 (2009) * ''

'' #821–828, 831, 833–834, 837–841, 843–850, 852, 1000 (2006–2009, 2019) * ''

'' #1–2, 4–7, 9–11 (2009–2010) * ''Harley Loves Joker'' #1–2 (2018) * ''Harley Quinn'' vol.3 #17–25 backup story (2017) * '' JLA: Liberty and Justice'' (2003) * ''JLA: Secret Origins'' (2002) * ''

'' (2000) * '' Superman: Peace on Earth'' (1998) * ''

Superman Adventures ''Superman Adventures'' is a DC Comics comic book series featuring Superman. It is set in the continuity (and style) of '' Superman: The Animated Series''. It ran for 66 issues between 1996 and 2002. Writers on the series included Paul Dini, Mark E ...

'' #1 (1996) * ''Wonder Woman: Spirit of Truth'' (2001) * ''Young Monsters in Love'' (2019) * ''Zatanna'' #1–6, 8–11, 13 (2010–2011) * ''Zatanna: Everyday Magic'' (2003)

DC Comics/Archie Comics

* '' Harley & Ivy Meet Betty & Veronica'' #1–6 (2017–2018)

Eclipse Comics

* ''Elvira, Mistress of the Dark'' #1, 8, 61 (1993, 1998)

Image Comics

* ''Jingle Belle: Santa Claus vs. Frankenstein'' (2008) * ''

'' #1–6 (2007–2008) * ''Top Cow Holiday Special/Jingle Belle: Grounded'' (2010) * ''Witchblade Animated'' #1 (2003)

Marvel Comics

* ''Captain America: Red, White, & Blue'' (2002)

Oni Press

* ''Jingle Belle'' #1–2 (1999) * ''Jingle Belle: Jubilee'' (2001) * ''Jingle Belle: The Mighty Elves'' (2001) * ''Jingle Belle: Winter Wingding'' (2002) * ''Jingle Belle's All-Star Holiday Hullabaloo'' (2000) * '' Mutant, Texas: Tales of Sheriff Ida Red'' #1–4 (2002) * ''Oni Double Feature'' #13 (1999) * ''Oni Press Summer Vacation Supercolor Fun Special'' (2000)

Awards

* Two

Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

nominations as part of the creation team: ** 1995, Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or Less) ** 1991, Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or Less) * Won seven comics industry Eisner Awards and two Harvey Awards. ** Eisner and

in 1994 for '' The Batman Adventures: Mad Love''; an Eisner for ''Batman Adventures Holiday Special'' in 1995, a Harvey for ''Batman: War on Crime'' in 2000. * He received the Writer's Guild Animation Writing award in 1999, and a second WGA award for Outstanding Achievement in Writing for a Dramatic Television Series in 2006 as a member of the writing team for ''

''. * Five-time nominee of the animation industry's

Annie Award The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in cinema and television. Originally desi ...

s. *

Inkpot Award The Inkpot Award is an honor bestowed annually since 1974 by Comic-Con International. It is given to professionals in the fields of comic books, comic strips, animation, science fiction, and related areas of popular culture, at CCI's annual c ...

in 2013.

References

External links

Paul Dini's Website

Paul Dini's Blog
* *
Paul Dini
at ComicVine.com
Paul Dini
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics
Paul Dini
interviewed on nerdist.com podcast, July 2016 ()
''Write Now!'' issue 4 (June 2003) and issue 5 (July 2003), TwoMorrows Publishing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dini, Paul 1957 births 21st-century American screenwriters American bloggers American comics writers American male screenwriters American people of Italian descent Television producers from New York City American television writers Annie Award winners Emerson College alumni Inkpot Award winners Living people American male television writers American writers of Italian descent Writers from New York City Writers Guild of America Award winners Screenwriters from New York (state) American male bloggers