Last year during the world premiere screening ofJustice League: Gods and Monsters, Warner Bros. announced that its nextDC Universe Original Moviewill be an adaptation of the iconicAlan Mooregraphic novelBatman: The Killing Joke. Just a few weeks later,Mark Hamillconfirmed that he will reprise his iconic voice role asThe Joker, and that he had already started recording his lines for the animated movie. Now we have confirmation from Mark Hamill’sTwitterthatKevin Conroywill return to voice Batman. Mark Hamill also issued a statement toComic Book Resourcesabout returning to voice The Joker.
“The chance to work once again withKevin Conroy, my favorite Batman, in what some consider the definitive origin of this iconic villain is a dream come true for me. I am beyond thrilled to return as The Joker inThe Killing Joke!'”
BothMark HamillandKevin Conroyhave become well-known for their voice work, since their first collaboration on the hit 1990s showBatman: The Animated Series. They also reprised their voice roles on The New Batman Adventures, theJustice Leagueanimated series and a number ofvideo games, including last year’sBatman: Arkham Knight. Mark Hamill also released the first photo of both Batman and The Joker squaring off in this new movie.
Batman: The Killing Jokeis a beloved graphic novel written byAlan Mooreand drawn by Brian Bolland, which was published in 1988. The plot offers one of the few origin stories for The Joker, where he has a theory that one bad day can drive any man insane, which he tests on James Gordon. The story also features Barbara Gordon becoming paralyzed, for a period of time, leading to her retiring as Batgirl. It isn’t known how faithful this adaptation will be to the source material, or how much will be changed. Executive producerBruce W. Timmrevealed at Comic Con that the movie will include, “an original 15-minute prologue that helps set up the story, giving even longtime fans of the story something new to look forward to.”
Comic Book Resourcesis reporting that the voice cast will also include Tara Strong as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl, withRay Wisevoicing Commissioner Gordon. It hasn’t been announced yet who will write and direct at this time.Sam Liuis listed as the director on the project’s IMDB page, but that hasn’t been confirmed. While we wait for more details, take a look at the new photos below.
