After all of the talk surrounding the grit and shock of Batman: The Killing Joke's film adaptation, our first full look at the film has finally arrived. Be prepared for one hell of a laugh, as you watch the trailer below.
The trailer broke through JoBlo's YouTube channel, and the more we look at it, the more we can't help but see a dead-on adaptation of Alan Moore's The Killing Joke being played out on the screen. Better still, having Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprising their roles as Batman and The Joker makes this R-rated animated film all the more anticipated. Thankfully, this first trailer has proven that the DC Universe is still on top of its animated game, and ready to take it to the next level.
Batman: The Killing Joke follows the same basic plot of the 1988 Alan Moore scripted comic of the same name. The story sees Batman trying to save Commissioner Gordon, after he's been kidnapped by The Joker and forced to face torture beyond any measure he could dream of. With Barbara Gordon wounded, and Jim Gordon's resolve wearing thin, it's up to the Caped Crusader to save his friends, as we learn about the origin of the Clown Prince of Crime.
With their first foray into R-rated content, the DC Universe has taken a story with as prestigious a name as Batman: The Killing Joke and made it into a cinematic reality. Perhaps the greatest reason to make this film an animated project is because of the controversial subject matter it deals with, as well as the fact that The Joker's twisted trap of madness can be fully realized through an animated medium with greater accuracy. Not to mention, you can get very specific with the imagery used, as well as execute exact replicas of iconic images from the comic such as this shot from the 1988 original, replicated in the trailer above.
Everyone from the fans to Mark Hamill himself have found the allure of Batman: The Killing Joke's existence too wonderful to ignore, and it's thanks to that tenacity that we have the film shown in the trailer above. Unfortunately, we still don't have an exact release date for the project, just the standard and cryptic promise of "this summer." But considering how the film looks in the trailer we just watched, we can safely say we'll wait as long as it takes.
