Benjamin Melniker (May 25, 1913 – February 26, 2018) was an American major motion picture studio executive at MGM.
Career Company man at MGM Melniker started at MGM in 1939 and worked his way upward at the company, eventually becoming an executive vice president and chairman of the film selection committee at the studio. Melniker was involved in a number of important deals at the studio, including those for Ben Hur, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Dr. Zhivago.
1979 "Batfilm Productions" deal In 1979, Melniker was approached by a young lawyer named Michael E. Uslan to purchase the film rights to DC's Batman. At the time Uslan needed an industry legend in his corner in order to get anyone in the industry to take him seriously as he had difficulty getting his foot in the door in the industry any other already having been a failed screenwriter. Melniker recognized the opportunity to potentially make a lot of money because the Superman movie at WB had made a lot of money. While WB wasn't paying attention, they seized the film rights to Batman before the inevitable movie would be made. After obtaining the rights, no movie studio they approached wanted to make the movie precisely because of the opportunistic seizure of the rights and monetary demands.
1983 deal at Casablanca It was not until the pair met Peter Guber at Casablanca Records that deal to make the movie was actually made. The pair were forced to renegotiate the outrageous nature of their contract in order to retain screen credit. The pair reluctantly agreed and later attempted to sue Warner Brothers several times to gain even more financial compensation for themselves, but they always lost in court against WB's lawyers.
"Executive producer" credits and nature of the deal Starting with Tim Burton's 1989 film, the pair are credited as "executive producers" on all Warner Bros. Batman and related films, including various direct-to-video feature-length animated films but due to the nature of the deal they will never be credited or paid royalties for any episode of television. Uslan continues to be credited as executive producer on Warner Batman film franchise entries. Apparently, upon death, the contract indicates that Melniker's name will no longer appear on any films after Zack Snyder's Justice League, and thusly Melniker's estate will only benefit from existing credits. Whether this was part of the original contact or something Uslan negotiated for upon his partner's death is unclear.
Personal life Melniker was part of a Jewish family. He was married twice. His first wife was Jean Brody. In 1945, he married his second wife, Shirley Melniker. Melniker had two sons, Harvey and Charles, the latter of whom died in 2012.
On-screen credits Film Year Title Notes1975Mitchell1976Shoot1982Swamp Thing1989The Return of Swamp ThingBatman1992Batman Returns1993Harmful IntentTelevision filmBatman: Mask of the Phantasm1995Batman Forever1997Batman & Robin1998Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZeroDirect-to-video2000Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker2003Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman2004CatwomanNational Treasure2005ConstantineBatman BeginsThe Batman vs. DraculaDirect-to-video2008Batman: Gotham KnightThe Dark KnightThe Spirit 2009Superman/Batman: Public EnemiesDirect-to-video2010Batman: Under the Red HoodSuperman/Batman: Apocalypse2011Batman: Year One2012Superman vs. The EliteThe Dark Knight RisesBatman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 1Direct-to-video2013Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 2Lego Batman: The Movie - DC Super Heroes Unite2014The Lego MovieSon of BatmanDirect-to-videoBatman: Assault on Arkham 2015Batman vs. RobinBatman Unlimited: Animal InstinctsJustice League: Gods and MonstersBatman Unlimited: Monster MayhemLego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League: Attack of the Legion of Doom2016Batman: Bad BloodLego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League: Cosmic ClashBatman v Superman: Dawn of JusticeLego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League: Gotham City BreakoutDirect-to-videoBatman: The Killing JokeBatman Unlimited: Mech vs. MutantsBatman: Return of the Caped Crusaders2017The Lego Batman MovieTeen Titans: The Judas ContractDirect-to-videoBatman and Harley QuinnBatman vs. Two-FaceJustice League2018Scooby-Doo! & Batman: The Brave and the BoldDirect-to-videoBatman: Gotham by GaslightLego DC Comics Super Heroes: The FlashDirect-to-video; posthumous releaseBatman NinjaTeen Titans Go! To the MoviesPosthumous release2019 Justice League vs. the Fatal FiveDirect-to-video; posthumous releaseBatman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesBatman: Hush
Television Year Title Notes1985American Playhouse 1 episode 1987TV's Greatest Bits Television special 1987Dinosaucers 5 episodes1990-1993Swamp Thing: The Series 48 episodes 1991Swamp Thing 5 episodes 1992Fish Police 6 episodes 1994-1995Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego? 13 episodes
Shorts Year Title 2003Chase Me
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