'Batman: The Killing Joke' Trailer: R-Rated Joker Origin Story Is No Laughing Matter

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The movie adaptation of Alan Moore’s Batman: The Killing Joke, the 1988 graphic novel that had a huge influence on future iterations of the Batman saga, including Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight series, has finally yielded its first full trailer. Based on the clip for the animated film, due later this year on Blu-ray and DVD, Warner Bros. has remained relatively faithful to the tone set by Moore and his illustrator, Brian Bolland.

Related: Mark Hamill Talks Return to Joker Role for ‘Killing Joke’

The Killing Joke is significant for many reasons: it suggests that there’s some psychological overlap between Batman and the Joker, it lays the groundwork for Barbara Gordon’s transformation into Oracle, and, given its dark subject matter, its movie adaptation marks the rare occasion when a Warner Bros. animated Batman story has been given an R rating.

As he has on numerous previous Batman projects, Mark Hamill returns to provide the voice of the Joker while veteran voice actor Kevin Conroy reprises his role as Batman. For those who were less than thrilled with Batman v. Superman, perhaps this film will restore one’s faith in Hollywood’s ability to translate Bruce Wayne stories to the screen.

More Batman vs. the Joker: Watch a clip from ‘Batman: Assault on Arkham’:

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