Sep 072016
 

killingjoke_ani_byphaWell, well, well…either enticing the fans or teasing of things to come, Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill announced that they are not done voicing Batman and Joker respectively for the Animated Universe of DC.  Here is the report by Evan Saathoff for birthmoviesdeath.com:

As everyone here likely knows, Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy have been voicing the Joker and Batman since forever, most famously during the Batman: The Animated Series run, but they probably do it a lot in their spare time as well. Recently they teamed up again for that ill-advised animated The Killing Joke movie.

And it doesn’t sound like they’re done yet. The two were on a panel together at Canada’s Fan Expo and when asked if they were ready to hang up their Batman and Joker voices, both answered with a resounding “no”, after which Conroy joked that next they might do Hush, after which Hamill suggested A Death in the Family.

While these titles were obviously lobbed around as jokes to get the audience excited, it does seem like something is brewing between these two. If it is another animated movie, neither Hush nor A Death in the Family seem outside the realm of reason. What do you think? Are there other Batman stories you’d prefer an adaptation of next? Please feel free to shout your suggestions at the first person you see!

And I have to say that thou the news are interesting, after the disappointment with the Killing Joke and his prologue plus some technical aspects of the movie makes me very cautious  of another DCAU adaptation.  If they are going to adapt a masterpiece of comic art and writing, they should have a better sense on what would work best to IMPROVE the story, not sink it. Still the idea of an animated version of DEATH IN THE FAMILY  (and who knows, maybe DEATH OF THE FAMILY…hint, hint) could be very interesting to see…

Aug 132015
 

While checking the internet, saw that COMIC BOOK RESOURCES announced that DC has signed a new voice for their collaboration with LEGO for a BATMAN MOVIE to be released in  February, 2017. Joker’s new voice for the movie will  be done by (Hangover) Zach Galifianakis.

And it took me by surprise. WHY?

NewJokervoice

Well, it is obvious for those of you (me included) who had played the LEGO BATMAN games that the Joker was voiced by Clown Prince veteran Christopher Corey Smith.  His voice acting, to my taste, was excellent, being both funny and intense (by this I mean that it sounded as if he “felt” the character and enjoyed it).  After successfully voicing the Clown in  two video games and a DVD movie I really believed that Cory Smith had become synonymous with the LEGO Joker (much like Mark Hamill became synonymous with the BATS Joker).  Or was he really?

On behalf of Mr. Galifianakis I have to say, he is a  voice actor on his own right with an extensive resume, especially having voiced The Simpsons’ Lucas Bortner  and Puss in Boots’ Humpty Alexander Dumpty , but does he have what it takes to voice Joker?  * scratches head*  True, this is just a LEGO movie, not the Killing Joke or anything, no biggie…right? Well, yes…but there are voice pairings out there that just do not work (I’m still trying to reconcile Brent Spiner’s voicing Joker in Young Justice which made my head spin, though it was probably most likely due of the poor dialogue that was written for the character to begin with).

I will stop now.

Truth is I have no frame or reference to throw an opinion on the subject.  Just wanted to express how I felt about Corey Smith not being a part of this new LEGO Batman movie, but I hate to pass judgement before hearing Galifianakis’ Joker, so… I will just sit back and wait for the first glimpses of his voice acting that will surely start appearing sometime next year.  Hopefully it will be a refreshing change….*crosses fingers*

(Original article  and unedited picture on COMIC BOOK RESOURCES HERE)

Jul 202015
 

Mark Hamill has his “fingers crossed” that a familiar name will appear on his Caller ID, asking the actor to take part in the upcoming animated adaptation of “The Killing Joke.”

Asked by a fan on Twitter whether he is involved in executive producer Bruce Timm’s interpretation of Alan Moore and Brian Bolland’s classic Batman/Joker tale, the actor was in no way ambiguous in his reply: No, he is not yet involved, but he’s aware of it and want very much to be a part of the production.

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Hamill famously brought the villainous character to life in Timm and Paul Dini’s classic “Batman: The Animated Series.” Since then, the actor has returned to voice the character time and again, both as a part of the various “Timm-verse” series, and in other continuities, including video games, animated films and more.

Announced by Timm at Comic-Con International, the animated adaptation will be helmed by “Gods and Monsters” director Sam Liu, and released direct to video in 2016.

“Next year we’ll be back at this table,” Timm stated during a panel for “Gods and Monsters,” implying that the feature would likewise have a Comic-Con premiere.

DC Comics later confirmed the news, further adding that it will feature an all-new prologue, designed to add to the story.

 

(Original article by Stephen Gerding for CBR HERE)