Though DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. have had a little bit of a rocky start to their live action extended universe films, withBatman V Superman: Dawn of Justiceunder whelming fans and critics alike and underperforming at the box office, they are miles ahead of the competition with their animated features. For years, DC’s animated films have been an excellent representation of their source material and have told stories fans have wanted to see for years, and their latest feature,Batman: The Killing Joke, is taking on one of the most classic comic stories of all time. Not to mention that the film, which will be coming out on Blu Ray this August, will berated R.
DC and Warner Bros. have just released an official synopsis for the film, as well as a brand new image of Barbara Gordon’s Batgirl, who will be voiced by Tara Strong inThe Killing Joke. Strong is one of the most prominent voice actors in the business and has worked with DC in the past onTeen Titansand other projects. The official synopsis for the film comes courtesy of CBM.
“What does it take for a person to snap? How muchdespairfor a mind to fracture? These are the twisted questions thatThe Jokerhas set out to answer, to show Gotham that even an ordinary man like Commissioner Gordon is only one bad day away from sheer insanity. Based on the acclaimed DC Comics graphic novel, witness a journey into the dark psyche of the Clown Prince of Crime. Follow his humble beginnings as a struggling comic to his fateful encounter with the Dark Knight that changed everything. Fueled by the return of Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamill as The Joker, witness the birth of a super villain, the fortitude of a hero and the punch line that will leave you speechless.”
The original story that the animated feature is based on was written by comics legend Alan Moore and though it has been the subject of a ton of praise over the years, it has also been the subject of quite a bit ofcontroversyas well.The Killing Jokedeals with some very dark subject matter, specifically in regards to what happens to Barbara Gordon and the way that the character is treated in the material. Though the material is very harsh, it has been considered one of the greatest graphic novels of all time and the character of Gordon is still affected by the events in the comics today. The producers of the film have said that they have expanded largely on the Batgirl story to help bolster the story enough to help make it enough of a story for a feature length adaptation.
The voice cast will of course includeTara Strongas Barbara Gordon/Batgirl, withRay Wisevoicing Commissioner Gordon. But as mentioned in the synopsis, bothKevin ConroyandMark Hamillhave returned to voice Batman and The Joker respectively.Conroyhas been the voice of Batman for the majority of DC’s animated output for more than 20 years andHamilis right next toHeath Ledgerin terms of definitive Jokers outside of the comics. The pair originally voiced the characters inBatman: The Animated Seriestogether.
Batman: The Killing Jokesadly won’t be getting a theatrical release likeMask of the Phantasmdid in the 90’s, but it will be making its way to San Diego Comic Con this year, for those who are attending the event. The film was directed by Sam Liu and was written by Brian Azzarello. Look for it on digital HD on July 26 and on Blu Ray on August 2.
