Earlier this month, just weeks after it was announced thatBatman: The Killing Jokewould be Warner Bros.' next DC Universe Original Movie, the first trailer debuted, giving us a look atMark Hamill’s Joker andKevin Conroy’sBatman. This animated movie has quickly become one of the most highly-anticipated projects of the year, even though we still don’t know when it may arrive. Today, we have the second trailer forBatman: The Killing Joke, featuring even more exciting new footage.
Mark HamillandKevin Conroyhave become well-known for their voice work, since their first collaboration on the hit 1990s showBatman: The Animated Series. They also reprised their voice roles onThe New Batman Adventures, theJustice Leagueanimated series and a number of video games, including last year’sBatman: Arkham Knight. We know this movie isR-Rated, but the footage below, courtesy of Yahoo! Movies, is suitable for all ages.
The Killing Jokeis a beloved graphic novel written byAlan Mooreand drawn byBrian Bolland, which was published in 1988. The plot offers one of the few origin stories forThe Joker, where he has a theory that one bad day can drive any man insane, which he tests on James Gordon. The story also features Barbara Gordon becoming paralyzed, for a period of time, leading to her retiring as Batgirl. It isn’t known how faithful this adaptation will be to the source material, or how much will be changed. Executive producerBruce W. Timmrevealed at Comic Con that the movie will include, “an original 15-minute prologue that helps set up the story, giving even longtime fans something new to look forward to.”
Earlier this month, we reported that this movie will deviate considerably from the original comic book. The 15-minute prologue will focus entirely on Barbara Gordon, who will be seen in her Batgirl costume, something that doesn’t happen in the comic. The prologue will help flesh out Batgirl’s story, before she becomes tortured heavily by The Joker, which does happen in the iconic graphic novel. This will be the first R-rated movie in the nine-year history of Warner Bros.' DC Universe Original Movie franchise.
The voice cast will also includeTara Strongas Barbara Gordon/Batgirl, withRay Wisevoicing Commissioner Gordon. It hasn’t been announced yet who will write and direct at this time.Sam Liuis listed as the director on the project’s IMDB page, but that hasn’t been confirmed. Warner Bros. hasn’t issued a release date forBatman: The Killing Jokeyet, but hopefully we’ll learn more about this project very soon. Take a look at the trailer below, which features plenty of animated violence.
