Bruce Timm Was Going To Adapt BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE Back In 2009

Bruce Timm Was Going To Adapt BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE Back In 2009

Bruce Timm was working on an R-rated adaptation of Batman: The Killing Joke back in 2009 but WB halted the project due to the underwhelming box office performance of Zack Snyder's Watchmen.

By MarkJulian - Feb 22, 2016 08:02 AM EST
Filed Under: Batman (1989)
Source: Phil Bourassa Instagram

Concept Artist Phil Bourassa has taken to Instagram to reveal that back in 2009, he was working on an animated adaptation of  Alan Moore and Brian Bollan's Batman: The Killing Joke.  The film was being developed by the legendary Bruce Timm however, Warner Bros. pulled the plug.  Said Bourassa,---

"In 2009 I started working on an animated adaptation of The Killing Joke under the supervision of legendary Animation artist Bruce Timm. Two weeks into the project we were told to stop development because The Watchmen had under performed at the box office and WB had lost faith in R rated superhero movies. Happy to say that you guys are gonna finally get your animated Killing Joke adaptation in 2016. Apparently enough money has been made from superhero movies and adaptations of comics of every stripe that it now transcends the previously assumed limitations of the genre. It's a good time to be a comic geek!"

Fast forward seven years later and we have a "likely" R-rated Killing Joke film coming down the pipeline that will be directed by Bruce Timm protege Sam Liu ( Justice League: Gods and Monsters, Batman: Year One ).  Liu is also directing  Justice League vs. Teen Titans.

Check out some of Bourassa's concept art for the project below.

 

 

 

 

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tugboy
tugboy - 2/22/2016, 8:29 AM
Will it be Mark Hamill as Joker?
MattBellissimo
MattBellissimo - 2/22/2016, 8:31 AM
@tugboy - Hamill has insinuated he'll be a part of it, one can only assume they'll cast him.
CAPTAINPINKEYE
CAPTAINPINKEYE - 2/22/2016, 8:45 AM
@tugboy - yes
tugboy
tugboy - 2/22/2016, 8:29 AM
THIS IS GONNA BE DAAAARRRRRKKKK!
MattBellissimo
MattBellissimo - 2/22/2016, 8:31 AM
R-Rating isn't confirmed. All they've said is that they would probably be able to do so.
AlexdoxA
AlexdoxA - 2/22/2016, 8:34 AM
It's a good time to be a comic geek!" Indeed!
McGee
McGee - 2/22/2016, 8:36 AM


ThedamnBatman
ThedamnBatman - 2/22/2016, 8:36 AM
I really hope it's R-Rated
OneBadDay
OneBadDay - 2/22/2016, 8:43 AM
Why would it be R rated honestly? Just for the hell of it? The Killing Joke is a PG-13 comic at its worst.There's no gore, the "nudity" is covered up, and there isn't really any bad language whatsoever. An R rating isn't necessary if they follow the book.
OneBadDay
OneBadDay - 2/22/2016, 8:45 AM
I guess the worst thing about it is that it implies that Joker raped her, but it never actually shows that happen
Shanksman
Shanksman - 2/22/2016, 8:47 AM
Tbh how much chance do we have to get a R-rated cartoon comic book movie? It looks slim to me, since they need to cash in on the younger audience.

Btw he is so right. This is the golden age of comic book movie and (kinda) tv show. The only one lacking is the damn cartoon show. Not a single good superhero cartoon show right now.
ASGARDIANBRONY
ASGARDIANBRONY - 2/22/2016, 8:56 AM
@Shanksman - EMH was a shining light, a beacon of hope, then it was squashed. We will ever cherish its memory.
Shanksman
Shanksman - 2/22/2016, 9:08 AM
@ASGARDIANBRONY - and also the Spectacular Spider-Man and Young Justice. Its been three years since 2013 that we last have a good cartoon show...
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