Last year, during geekdom’s biggest annual event, San Diego Comic Con, while wrapping up his panel on Justice League: Gods and Monsters, Bruce Timm announced to the shock of the comic book world that his next animated film was to be adapted from the iconic one-shot graphic novel Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland. Considering that it’s my favorite book of all time across on genres, I was very excited.
Since then, there has a been a few news bits regarding its R-rating and the alleged casting of Mark Hamill as the Joker, but for the most part, DC and WB have been pretty hush-hush about the project. It’s a pretty ambitious undertaking considering not only its status in comic book history, but the difficult source material as well.
At Wizard World Comic Con in New Orleans this weekend, Bruce Timm, the executive producer on the project, spoke with ConTV where he revealed a couple pieces of news. One, the movie will premiere at San Diego Comic Con this summer and two, they apparently had to add to the story.
Take his word for it:
Apparently, there’s not enough material to make a feature length movie. Personally, I think there’s plenty. They could simply elongate certain scenes from the book. For instance, the scene in Arkham, when Batman goes to see “The Joker,” could easily be stretched to add a few minutes. It’s not hard to lengthen it, but do it artfully so that it adds tension.
I’m a little nervous that they would be willing to add to the legendary source material, but considering how well done The Dark Knight Returns was and how I wholeheartedly trust Bruce Timm with my first born child, I have faith. Timm even noted how the situation does call for a delicate touch. He also noted the “bleakness” of the material, which also makes me nervous. Could they be looking to lighten the source material?
What do you think? Do you trust Bruce Timm to create a faithful and solidly entertaining adaptation of Batman: The Killing Joke? Or do you believe they’d crash and burn? Let me know.
Alan Moore and Brian Bolland’s Batman: The Killing Joke was released in 1988 to critical acclaim. The events in the story, such as Joker’s origin and the crippling of Barbara Gordon, have been accepted into canon. However, the material has also been met with controversy over the years for the implied sexual abuse of a paralyzed Barbara Gordon at the hands of the Joker.
Bruce Timm projects the film will be released some time in July 2016.