Ever since the debut of Batman: The Animated Series, actors Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill have been the voices of Batman and the Joker for an entire generation of fans. The duo has gone on to reprised their roles from the beloved series in Batman Beyond, Justice League, and three different Batman: Arkham Asylum video games. They recently paired up once again for an adaptation of the graphic novel The Killing Joke, and are also returning to the characters for the upcoming Justice League Action series on Cartoon Network.
But at this past weekend’s Fan Expo in Toronto, the two actors reunited on stage for a rare Q&A panel, where they both coyly teased future direct-to-DVD animated adaptations of popular Batman stories. According to a report from ScreenGeek, when a fan in the audience asked about what they want to do next together, the two veteran actors teased two classic Batman stories from the pages of DC Comics as possible future animated films: Hush and A Death in the Family.
According to the report from Fan Expo, “both exchanged something of a sly response to each other, with Conroy turning to Hamill and saying, ‘What do you think about doing Hush?’ After a huge cheer from the crowd, Hamill one-upped him on the question saying, “What do you think about doing A Death in the Family?“
Both storylines are among Batman’s most popular tales, and make perfect sense to adapt as animated films. A Death in the Family was the 1988 story where the Joker killed Jason Todd, the second Robin (and where fans where asked to call in and decide whether the character lived or died). Hush was a 12-part story from Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee from the early 2000s, which featured appearances from nearly every member of Batman’s supporting cast and rogue’s gallery, including the Joker. Hush would likely have to be adapted into a two-part animated film, due to its length, similar to how The Dark Knight Returns was adapted a couple of years back.
If these movies are coming, they are at least a couple of years away. Next year’s animated film slate for DC includes Justice League Dark, Batman and Harley Quinn from Bruce Timm, and Teen Titans: The Judas Contract. That means that either Batman film would have to arrive in 2018 at the earliest. Oddly, one of the most obvious choices for adaptation, Batman: The Long Halloween, has not yet been discussed, although maybe DC and Warner Bros are saving that one for a live-action adaptation sometime down the road.
What do you think of Hamill and Conroy sticking together as Batman and Mr. J for future Batman animated projects? Leave us your thoughts in the comments down below.
Will Deathstroke be the villain in Justice League or Ben Affleck’s Batman movie?
Image: DC Comics
