Is Batman: The Killing Joke Animated Movie Rated R? Joker Concept Art!

In October, producer James Tucker got the New York Comic Con crowd excited when he informed them that DC Entertainment had given him the okay to make Batman: The Killing Joke an R-rated film. However, he cautioned that an R-rating was an option, not a given.

Phil Bourassa, a conceptual artist that has worked on numerous DC animated projects, shared character designs of The Joker that he created for Bruce Timm's first attempt at an animated adaptation of The Killing Joke. Along with the artwork, Bourassa posted a message which seems to suggest that Batman: The Killing Joke could be rated R.

"Two weeks into the project we were told to stop development because Watchmen had underperformed at the box office and WB had lost faith in R-rated superhero movies," Bourassa wrote. "Happy to say that you guys are gonna finally get your animated Killing Joke adaptation in 2016. Apparently enough money has been made from superhero movies and adaptations of comics of every stripe that it now transcends the previously assumed limitations of the genre. It's a good time to be a comic geek!"

Batman: The Killing Joke will makes its debut at San Diego Comic Con this July.