News from New York Comic Con (NYCC) suggests producer James Tucker has received permission from Warner Bros. to make Batman: The Killing Joke film with an R rating.
Tucker alluded to the news at the Batman: Bad Blood panel on Friday. License to create a rated R animated film does not necessarily mean it will happen. Tucker seemed to leave the possibilities open either way. With the graphic nature of the story, it would certainly give creative freedom for Tucker and company to tell the tale well. And, sometimes alluding to an event in film is more powerful than depicting events in detail.
Batman: The Killing Joke was a one-shot graphic novel from 1988. The classic tale, from writer Watchmen author Alan Moore, infamously depicts Barbara Gordon, summarily humiliated by being photographed nude by the Joker, as she lies paralyzed from a gunshot to the spine. The photos are then used to torment Barbara’s father, Commissioner Gordon. This story provides the origins of the Barbara in a wheelchair continuity and sets up her role as Oracle in subsequent Batman stories.
Check out photos from the graphic novel:
What do you think? Should an animated, DC film be rated R? Can The Killing Joke be told authentically with a lesser rating? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section!