The iconic graphic novel has officially been rated R.
Entertainment Weekly reports that the animated film adaptation of 1988 graphic novel The Killing Joke has been rated R. Producer James Tucker gave permission at New York Comic-Con for The Killing Joke to receive an R rating… but until now, it wasn’t clear whether or not that would actually happen.
“From the start of production, we encouraged producer Bruce Timm and our team at Warner Bros. Animation to remain faithful to the original story – regardless of the eventual MPAA rating,” said Sam Register, president of Warner Bros. Animation & Warner Digital Series. “The Killing Joke is revered by the fans, particularly for its blunt, often-shocking adult themes and situations. We felt it was our responsibility to present our core audience – the comics-loving community – with an animated film that authentically represented the tale they know all too well.”
Although more will be added to the story in order to have enough content for a full-length film – including a 15 minute prologue – Executive Producer Bruce Timm stated that the adaptation would stay “very faithful” to the source material, saying: “Killing Joke is a really tricky property because it’s really bleak, but we made a decision early on that if we’re gonna do it, then we kinda have to just jump in and just do it.”
Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill star in the film, which is set to premiere at San Diego Comic-Con.
