Back in 1988, writer Alan Moore and artist Brian Bolland delivered one of the darkest Batman stories ever in Batman: The Killing Joke. It took nearly three decades, but The Killing Joke will finally be adapted later this month in a new R-rated animated film co-directed by Bruce Timm and Sam Liu, with a script by Brian Azzarello. For the movie, Timm has noted that the style used was closer to Kevin Nowlan’s signature look than Bolland’s art, and a darker color palette was also introduced. But what if The Killing Joke movie looked more like the comic?
That’s the challenge that Emil Ryderup took upon himself. In a newly released video, Ryderup completely remade the official trailer for Batman: The Killing Joke in Bolland’s style with brighter colors that invoke the original colorist of the book, John Higgins. The remake of the trailer keeps the pacing and music of the earlier clip, with the unmistakable voice of Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamill‘s chilling Joker laugh. Conroy and Hamill have wanted to make The Killing Joke ever since their initial stint on Batman: The Animated Series. While Ryderup’s video has the classic aesthetic, we’re still pretty excited about the actual movie!
Fans headed to San Diego Comic-Con will get the first chance to see Batman: The Killing Joke before it gets a digital release on July 26. The film will hit DVD and Blu-ray on August 2, but if you want to see it on the big screen, Fathom Events will run it as a one-time event on July 25.
What did you think about the remake of The Killing Joke‘s trailer? Let us know in the comment section below!
Featured Image:Â Emil Ryderup/YouTube