Hamill to Voice THE KILLING JOKE?
We’re classifying this as RUMOR at this point, until we can get some confirmation or corroboration. Collider is reporting that Mark Hamill will reprise his role as the Joker in the animated adaptation of The Killing Joke, considered one of the most influential Batman stories of the modern era.
Not only that, but the report also says that Hamill has already completed recording his lines.
Hamill himself, in answer to the question of if he’d be involved, posted this on Twitter:
You're not the only one w/ fingers crossed! https://t.co/PcKlgRQFaU
— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) July 17, 2015
Matt Goldberg writes, “…sources reached out to us and confirmed that Hamill has already recorded his voice acting for the film, which is due out direct-to-video next year.”
We reached out to our contacts at Warner Bros. and were officially told, “I can not confirm this story.” Note that it doesn’t confirm or deny Hamill’s involvement, only that reps at WB don’t have license to comment yet. Which will no doubt fuel speculation even further.
Of course, the discussion boards are blowing up over the possibility of a Batman: The Animated Series reunion between Hamill, Kevin Conroy, and Melissa Gilbert. Conroy has already expressed an interest. “Oh, God! Are you kidding me? I’d do it in a heartbeat,” he told ComicBook.com. “I love working with him. I couldn’t believe when they killed off The Joker. I would love to do it, and I hope that that happens.”
No word on whether Gilbert has been approached to reprise her role as Barbara Gordon.
The movie, set for release in 2016, is based on the one-shot graphic novel by writer Alan Moore and artist Brian Bolland, in which the Joker kidnaps Commissioner Gordon after shooting Barbara, paralyzing her and ending her career as Batgirl. The Joker’s plan is to use the incident to drive Gordon mad and prove that the only thing that stands in the way of anyone going insane is “one bad day”.
Moore has since distanced himself from the book, saying it was never supposed to be an in-continuity story, but the impact of the book has been such that he regrets sending comics into the “grimdark” tones of the modern era, likening it to “making them Casper the Ghost with chainsaws”.
