The Killing Joke may be first Batman movie to secure R-rating

The upcoming animated Batman: The Killing Joke movie from Warner Bros., has been given the seal of approval to go all in and secure an R-rating.

Speaking at New York Comic-Con's Batman: Bad Blood panel on Friday night, producer James Tucker confirmed the studios decision. Although, according to various attendees livetweeting the panel, Tucker backtracked and said just because DC and Warner Bros. agreed to the possible R-rating didn't mean they were going to try and get one.

Just to clarify, James Tucker said he was given okay to make Killing Joke for R rating but added that doesn't mean he will. #nycc

— Stitch Kingdom (@stitchkingdom) October 10, 2015

If Batman: The Killing Joke was handed an R-rating from the MPAA, however, it would be the first movie based on the caped crusader to venture into the adult-only forum. Even darker Batman films, like Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight, were capped at PG-13 in an attempt to bring in as wide of an audience as possible.

The Killing Joke, easily one of the most popular Batman books, was written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Brian Bolland in 1988. The book provided an in-depth origin story for Gotham's most notorious villain, the Joker.

Batman: The Killing Joke is scheduled to be released sometime next year.

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