Batman’s #1 foe, The Joker, has been brought to life in many forms over the past seventy-five years, from Cesar Romero’s Joker in the Batman 1966 live-action series, to Jack Nicholson’s in Tim Burton’s 1989 movie, to Heath Ledger’s iconic turn as The Clown Prince of Crime in The Dark Knight.

But among Batman purists, many would agree that the very best version of the Joker is actor Mark Hamill’s vocal portrayal in the Bruce Timm/Paul Dini produced Batman: The Animated Series, a role he returned to in shows like Justice League and the animated movies Mask of the Phantasm and Batman Beyond: The Return of the Joker. He would reprise the role in video games as well, voicing the psychopath in the Batman: Arkham series.

Although he announced his retirement from the part via social media some time after the last Arkham game, he always left one door open for a possible return: if Warner Brothers ever did an animated film of Alan Moore’s and Brian Bolland’s seminal Batman vs. Joker graphic novel, The Killing Joke.

Well, as it turns out, they are doing just that. Bruce Timm announced during the Justice League: Gods and Monsters panel at Comic-Con this year that a feature-length version of The Killing Joke is coming as an animated film in 2016. Will Hamill return? Well, we know he’d sure like to, according to his comments on Twitter when a fan told him he had his fingers crossed that he’d get to play the part once more:

You’re not the only one w/ fingers crossed! https://t.co/PcKlgRQFaU

— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) July 17, 2015

So hopefully producer Bruce Timm won’t let us down, and gives Hamill a chance to reprise The Joker’s ultimate swan song. And if Hamill comes back as the Joker for that movie, surely Kevin Conroy should return as Batman. How perfect would that be?

No release date has been given for The Killing Joke, but it’s expected in the latter half of next year.

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HT: Mark Hamill

IMAGE: deviantART // Lord Daroth