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Despite being intended for kids,Batman: The Animated Seriesdidn’t shy away from delving into heavy and mature themes, making it the most definitive version of Batman to be put on screen. Following in its footsteps, Bruce Timm would go on to work in several more acclaimed DC animated projects, with the most notable of them all being 1999’sBatman Beyond.
And while 1999 wasn’t the best time for the caped crusader following the failure ofBatman & Robin,Batman Beyond‘s success was enough to warrant a feature film,Return of the Joker. Even though many count it among the best Batman animated films out there, on par with 2010’sUnder the Red Hood, unfortunately, meeting the release guidelines for the film was torturous for Timm.
Re-EditingReturn of the Jokerfor its DVD Release Was a Torture for Bruce Timm
WhileBatman: The Animated SeriesandBatman Beyonddid tackle mature themes, withBatman Beyond: Return of the Joker,Bruce Timmmade the IP way edgier. From involving more violence and darker overtones,Return of the Jokerpushed the boundaries of the medium. Unfortunately, during the 2000s, pop culture as a whole was under heavy scrutiny from fans following the violence depicted in media. This made it unfeasible for WB to release the animated feature in its initial state. As a result, Timm was forced to censor the film for its DVD release.
“The idea of Michael Keaton doing it is cool”: Batman Beyond Live Action Originally Considered Another Hollywood Legend for Old Bruce Wayne Before the U-Turn
Even though things eventually worked out, as the uncut version eventually got released in 2002, censoring it for the initial DVD release was painful for the American animator. In an interview withWorld’s Finest and Toon Zone, Timm explained:
“Well, I’d probably be a little less adamant about pushing for such edgy material…bottom line is that the home video dept. markets their cartoons directly at children. I’m very proud of ROTJ, but a ‘kid-friendly’ movie it definitely isn’t! I mean, ultimately, it all worked out; they got the ‘age-appropriate’ version they wanted (kind of!), and we fans eventually got the nastier version WE wanted, but that whole editing and Re-editing process that we went through was torture. Like cutting the fingers off your own baby.”
“It was surreal and disappointing”: Bruce Timm Was Left Aghast With Batman Beyond Pitch That Would’ve Ruined Both Batman and Superman Animated Series
WhileReturn of the JokerremainsBatman Beyond‘s only feature film, a sequel was once in the works that unfortunately never materialized.
Return of the Joker’s Poor Sales Didn’t Justify a Sequel
Per Bruce Timm, a sequel toReturn of the Jokerwas set to move forward, which would’ve involved Catwoman as its main antagonist. However, following the poor sales ofROTJ, the idea was ultimately scrapped.
Speaking at theBatman Beyond 20th Century Panelat San Diego Comic-Con, he explained:
“Catwoman was going to be our leading villain in the second movie,” said Timm. “She was the one who cloned Bruce Wayne to create Terry, but that was going to be our big surprise in our next movie.”
“We floated it past Fox Kids and they said “Nope!”: Bruce Timm’s Revolutionary Idea for a Batman: The Animated Series Episode is Too Good to Ignore
Even though the uncut version is undoubtedly the definitive version ofROTJ, the censored edition still holds up pretty well, as at its core, the film was about pain, regret, failure, and redemption.
Batman Beyond: Return of the Jokeris available to stream on Max.
Santanu Roy
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2542
Santanu Roy is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on movies, with over 2,000 articles under his belt. He has been pursuing a degree in Animation and possesses a deep love for the medium of animation. Having spent the better part of the last two years pumping out articles for FW, Santanu excels at covering movie analysis and news surrounding Pixar, DCU, DreamWorks, and Batman’s cinematic legacy.With psychological thrillers and intimate slice-of-life dramas ranking among his favorite genres, Santanu is a big admirer of Luca Guadagnino, Shane Black, Park Chan-wook, and Brad Bird.
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Batman Beyond Return of the JokerBruce Timm
