DC Comics has been releasing a steady stream of animated movies since 2007, but none have been as highly anticipated as Batman: The Killing Joke, the R-rated adaptation of the same-named 1988 graphic novel. The previews and behind-the-scenes looks have already proved this will be a chilling recreation of the Clown Prince of Crime's most famous tale, but with a few weeks to go until its release, the first clip from the movie has finally been posted, depicting a familiar prison scene for those who read the original story. You can watch it starting at the 3:56 mark.
The Batman: The Killing Joke clip from DC Entertainment begins with Batman and Commissioner James Gordon walking down one of Arkham Asylum's halls, getting ready to interrogate The Joker, who Gordon believes has been in custody for two years. As they debate whether the white-skinned maniac will talk, they pass by the cell containing Harvey Dent, a.k.a. Two-Face. In the graphic novel, we simply see Dent languishing in his cell, but in the movie, he's desperately trying to reach his trademark coin that fell outside his cell, to the point that he's leaving scratch marks on the door. Not to be deterred, neither Batman or Gordon bother handing the coin back to him, leaving the duality-obsessed villain helpless to make any decisions until he gets it back.
When Batman arrives at Joker's cell (simply labeled "Name Unknown"), he delivers the same monologue from the original story, about how he believes that their long feud will eventually end with one of them killing the other. All the while, Joker continues to place his playing cards in piles, not reacting to anything the Caped Crusader is saying. Finally, Batman gets frustrated with the inattention and grabs his nemesis' hand, but when the hand slips out of his grasp, he's surprised to see white makeup is left behind on his glove.
As those of you who read Batman: The Killing Joke or seen the movie's trailer know that (nearly 30-year spoiler warning ahead) the man in the cell isn't The Joker, but a man who was paid or threatened to masquerade as him. This tips Batman off that Joker has not only escaped, but is plotting another sinister scheme. From there, the two adversaries will find themselves pitted in their most brutal and twisted battle yet. The movie's main cast consist of Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprising their longtime roles as Batman and Joker, respectively, as well as Tara Strong voicing Batgirl and Ray Wise voicing Commissioner Gordon.
Batman: The Killing Joke will be released on digital HD on July 26, and the Blu-ray release will follow on August 2. The movie will also be screened early at San Diego Comic-Con and at a special "one-night only" screening at select theaters July 25.
