The Killing Joke

Has any one person meant as much to the DC Universe over the past 25 years than Bruce Timm? When the animator and TV producer co-created Batman: The Animated Series with Eric Radomski back in 1992, he and his team at Warner Bros. offered a fresh take on an iconic character, finding a balance between the breezy fun of the ’60s Batman and the darker Dark Knight of the ’70s and ’80s. Timm then went on to co-create one of the more entertaining versions of Superman in another animated series, debuting in 1996; and in 2001 he carried the lessons from those two shows into Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, which together comprise some of the best superhero television ever made.

Batman: The Killing Joke is notable for being an adaptation of Alan Moore’s seminal graphic novel and for adapting that work without losing any of the brutality of the source; it was the first Batman movie to be rated R by the MPAA. Sadly, that’s about all it looks notable for based on this new trailer, which looks pretty awful...

After teasing that they were planning the movie with an R rating in mind, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has confirmed that the upcoming animated film Batman: The Killing Joke has officially been rated R by the MPAA. Sam Register, president of Warner Bros...

The Killing Joke is one of the most divisive Batman stories of all time. Alan Moore’s graphic novel remains a thorny topic for some fans, who feel as though Barbara Gordon’s treatment is despicable, while others have lauded Moore’s work as an iconic installment in the ongoing saga of Batman and The Joker. Further raising a few eyebrows is DC Comics’ animated adaptation of the story, which now has an official teaser along with a 12-minute sneak peek to show you how they brought this particular tale from page to screen.

While rumoured for several months, it has been officially confirmed via CBR that Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill will both return to their iconic roles as Batman and The Joker in DC’s latest animated feature, an adaptation of Alan Moore and Brian Bolland’s The Killing Joke. Hamill also unveiled the first look at the film’s animation style on Twitter, which seems to eschew an adaptation of Brian Bolland’s art in favour of the more generic style that has become popular with DC’s animated division. Tara Strong reprises her role as Barbara Gordon from Batman: The Animated Series, and Ray Wise will voice Commissioner James Gordon.

The Batman movies have always been on the darker and grittier side, Bat-nipples not withstanding. A few minor edits and any of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight films could have gone from a PG-13 to an R-rating. The Joker did slam a guy’s head down onto the point of a pencil, after all. But, while they’ve previously only flirted with a level of intensity only seen in R-rated films, Warner Bros. has reportedly given approval for an upcoming Batman movie to actually be rated R.

The Killing Joke is one of the more notable entries in Batman comic book history, offering one of the most sadistic versions of the Joker to date. Alan Moore’s book is one of the more divisive among fans, who either love it or despise it, and in further proving their commitment to the darker side of superhero stories, DC is taking The Killing Joke and adapting it…into an animated feature, of all things.