Great news for Batman fans around the world today as Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment‘s upcoming animated feature based on the classic Batman storyline, Batman: The Killing Joke, has officially been rated R!

The announcement comes via Entertainment Weekly, who spoke with the President of Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Digital Series Sam Register about the animated feature, the latter stating that staying true to the source material was always their goal.

“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. ’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.”

The animated film was first announced last year at San Diego Comic-Con International and rumors had begun circulating that the studio was in fact aiming for a rated R rating, however prior to today nothing had been confirmed.

The film will see the return of Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprising their iconic roles as Batman and the Joker, respectively. Batman the Killing Joke will hit stores sometime this summer.

Straight from the slums of Shaolin, I trained with the Abbot in the ancient art of Otaku. I traveled to the US years ago in order to take on all things geek (comic books, manga, anime, music, movies), seeking to achieve complete mastery and to get the #1 headband.