After 28 years of being published, Alan Moore’s critically acclaimed graphic novel, Batman: The Killing Joke, is being animated for fans to enjoy this summer. The first trailer of the film and a preview featuring the creative team showcases just how much work is going into this incredible project.
“One of the main thrusts of the Killing Joke is a series of flashbacks that the Joker is remembering about how he actually became the Joker,” said Bruce Timm, executive producer on the project, famous for his work on Batman: The Animated Series. “His literal one bad day.”
The Killing Joke animated movie is not strictly a direct-adaptation of the comic. The film will feature a prologue about Barbara Gordon and her adventures as Batgirl, adding even more reasons for fans hearts to clench when we see the character’s inevitable fate.
“I think it was really important to show Batgirl in action in the story,” said Mike Carlin, creative director of animation at DC entertainment. “She wasn’t just somebodies daughter, she was someone important to Gotham city and Batman in particular.”
This will not be the only original piece of content added to the film because of the need to lengthen it to a full feature run time. Timm anticipates the movie will get a PG-13 rating instead of the hard R rating that fans expect.
Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprise their respective roles as Batman and the Joker as well as Tara Strong playing Batgirl. The art style of the film is inspired by Brian Bolland’s iconic artwork but has been toned down in detail in order to be animated.
The Killing Joke will have its premiere at this years San Diego Comic Con.