San Diego Comic-Con 2015 has had an overabundance of great DC news, and it’s only day 2! But even with all of the news coming out, this has been one of the things that has gotten me the most excited so far.
At the Justice League: Gods & Monsters panel, Bruce Timm formally announced that they would be adapting The Killing Joke into an animated feature in 2016.
Bruce Timm announces Batman The Killing Joke 2016 animated film at the Justice League Gods and… https://t.co/IKXWBWKGXi
— DCComicsNews (@DCComicsNews) July 11, 2015
It seems that Bruce Timm, the mind behind the incredible Batman: The Animated Series, will be leading this project, and hopefully we’ll get some familiar voices to return with Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill. Hamill has been quoted in the past saying that he would love to return to voice the Joker for an animated version of The Killing Joke, calling it “a dream unfilled.”
The Killing Joke was a 1988 one-shot comic book written by Alan Moore. It provided a new origin for the Joker, depicting him as a tragic character who was once a failed comedian before turning to a life of crime.
It was a very dark take on The Joker and Batman’s relationship, and even goes as far as to insinuate that Batman actually kills the Joker in the end. It has also proven to be very controversial, with the story showing how Barbara Gordon – who was Batgirl at the time – was shot and paralyzed (and in most opinions, sexually assualted) by The Joker. That particular element of the story had a huge impact on Batman continuity, leading to Barbara eventually becoming Oracle.
Many have been skeptical about whether or not this story could properly be adapted to an animated film, but with recent releases such as Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Batman: Under The Red Hood, and Batman: Year One hitting the mark, I don’t believe we have anything to worry about.
Batman: The Killing Joke is set for release sometime in 2016.
