In the summer of 2002, I wrote a screenplay for an idea that I'd been trying to convince others was cool since the fourth grade. What followed was an all out filmmaking war that begged,
borrowed, and spray-painted its way into becoming a five minute trailer, titled GRAYSON. It hit the internet in 2004, before the invention of HD or YouTube, and continues to compel superhero
fans from around the globe to email me at all hours of the night asking where they can download the whole movie. Perhaps someday, Warner Brothers will see the economic windfall of letting me produce GRAYSON in its entirety (allowing me to blow this little sliver of fan fiction out of the water). Until then, I hope you can see past the duct tape & cardboard and enjoy the ride.
GRAYSON
BEHIND THE SCENES
REVIEWS
"An aspiring filmmaker named John Fiorella has written a script for a feature film called Grayson, which explores what happens to an adult version of Robin (Dick Grayson) in the aftermath of Batman's death. The filmmaker then decides to shoot a trailer for the project himself, and thus was born one of the greatest fan films ever made. Why It's Essential Viewing: I'm generally not a big admirer of fan films, but what Fiorella was able to accomplish in this one is pretty stunning." - Ben Pearson, 2021 SLASHFILM
"Grade: A-" - Carlos Mejia, 2005, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
John,
​
Just wanted to drop you a quick note as to how impressed I was with your film. I really enjoyed the energy, excitement, and overall quality of your trailer. It truly has some wonderful qualities of cinema about it that made so unbelievably impressive by your making-of film. To watch somebody make something like this guerilla-style, which I have some familiarity with, is all the more awe-inspiring.
You really, really deserve a break in Hollywood for this. I can only imagine what you might do with a full budget, given how much you can do with severe limitations. Your making-of film goes a long way to advertise your inherent qualities as a filmmaker. Thanks for the plugs of my artwork in the behind-the-scenes stuff. I'm truly honored.
Alex Ross
"I am in awe. Grayson is truly astounding. I just watched it about 10 times in a row and I just checked, yeah, still getting chills. If I experienced this at the theater, I wouldn't be able to contain myself. Thank you, John Fiorella, for showing what’s possible when you care and have the talent." - Chris Gore, 2004, FILM THREAT
Chapter 1 – The New Renaissance Has Begun
Let’s start with a definition. By art, I am referring to creative expressions that are still relevant to future generations. Will people still consume it in a hundred years? One doesn’t really know what later generations will deem to be art. Shakespeare was low brow entertainment for the common man in his day.... Charlie Chaplin wasn’t considered art, but a century later, his movies still make me laugh. Winnie the Pooh wasn’t considered art when it came out, but nearly a century later, I reach for those books to read to my kids at night. The Beatles made art. F. Scott Fitzgerald made art, as did Hemingway. Daniel Day-Lewis and Joaquin Phoenix are artists.... I think John Fiorella’s trailer for Grayson is art (and art done on a budget as well). - Byron Reese, 2013, INFINITE PROGRESS
While the anti-intellectual bent of fanboys is a well-worn cliché, it has a lesser-discussed flipside: the raw creative spirit of the fans. This facet of society has yielded fierce loyalty, breeding not only commercial success for superhero titles, but also inspiring new generations of artists, writers, and filmmakers. When it comes to fan films, financial constraints tend to impose upon the creativity. It can be expensive, and it can be even more difficult to find collaborators whose enthusiasm for a project is matched by their skill. That’s why a fan film as tremendous as GRAYSON, directed by John Fiorella, is a major accomplishment. It represents the perfect expression of the superhero blockbuster as raw commercial force and individualistic American endeavor.
The plot pulls Dick Grayson back to Gotham after Batman is killed - but the identity of the killer remains a mystery, and the new administration seems to be doing nothing about it. When his attempts at detective work prove fruitless, Dick comes out of retirement, sliding into his red-yellow-and-greens, and starts pummeling his way through the underworld to get to the truth.
GRAYSON delivers some wonderful images that harness the power of the characters’ iconography and stitches them together into a narrative that thrives on tone. Fiorella himself plays the grown-up Boy Wonder, and proves a plausibly intimidating figure. There’s a real sincerity to the sobriety with which he treats the character. The use of color in the mise-en-scene owes a lot to the old 1960s Batman TV program, except filtered through the gothic art deco design and canted angles of the 90s animated series. Each scene is performed with the slight exaggeration appropriate to the heightened reality of a superhero tale - paced deliberately enough to be legible, but dynamic enough to deliver a sharp visual jab.
Fiorella has crafted a truly maverick piece of cinema. GRAYSON is a love letter to pop culture, filmmaking, the entrepreneurial spirit, superhero blockbusters, artistic passion, and narrative economy. Its production design and tone marry the grit and darkness of Christopher Nolan’s Batman films (actually predating Batman Begins by a year) to the colorful vibrance of Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy. Yet by making the film independently and receiving no recompense for it besides the accolades of his peers and fellow fans, Fiorella has firmly demonstrated that the real power of this kind of film doesn’t lie with the corporate interests that underwrite the multimillion dollar films; it lies with the fans whose enthusiasm and critical thought has made comics and film sustainable media throughout the last hundred years.
GRAYSON is symbolic of the progressive nature of the relationship between superhero franchises and their fan bases. It stands as perhaps the most imaginative, creatively rewarding superhero film of the decade and is a masterpiece in its own right. - Matt Schneider, 2010, Playtime Magazine
SCREENPLAY
IF YOU THINK YOU KNOW THE WHOLE STORY, THINK AGAIN.