Batman: The Killing Joke is Rated….

In an unthinkable turn of events, The Upcoming DC Animated adaptation of Alan Moore’s notorious comic Batman:The Killing Joke is Officially Rated R.

The Killing Joke marks the first film in the DC Universe Original Movie franchise to receive an R rating, and the second Batman movie to do so. (The extended home-video version of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was the first.)

The voice cast Includes: Kevin Conroy as the voice of Batman/Bruce Wayne, Mark Hamill as the Joker, Tara Strong as Batgirl/Barbara Gordon, and Ray Wise as Commissioner James Gordon.

The Killing Joke is an origin story that finds the Clown Prince of Crime taunting the Dark Knight by capturing and torturing Batgirl. The original comic was published in 1988 and remains polarizing, with some hailing it as a definitive Joker story and others criticizing it as “misogynistic”.

“From the start of production, we encouraged producer Bruce Timm and our team at Warner Bros. Animation to remain faithful to the original story — regardless of the eventual MPAA rating,” said Sam Register, president of Warner Bros. Animation & Warner Digital Series, in a statement. “The Killing Joke is revered by the fans, particularly for its blunt, often-shocking adult themes and situations. We felt it was our responsibility to present our core audience — the comics-loving community — with an animated film that authentically represented the tale they know all too well.”

There are currently no plans for an edited PG-13 version of the film.

https://youtu.be/iC8NdK2Cwd4

Batman: The Killing Joke will make its world premiere at Comic-Con International in San Diego this summer, with a release on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD to follow later in the year.

Fun Fact: In past interviews, Tim Burton has mentioned that The Killing Joke is one of the comics that influenced his 1989 film adaptation of Batman.