If you’re a superhero animation junkie just as we are, then you’re likely aware that this is about the time when we learn the names of the next three DC Universe movies set to be released the following year. Usually, all are revealed at San Diego Comic-Con, but sometimes Blu-ray packaging lets the cat out of the bag early when it comes to one of them. As you can guess, such is the case with Batman: Gotham by Gaslight.
When it comes to this particular leak, you have the back cover to the upcoming Batman and Harley Quinn Blu-ray to thank for that. As you can plainly see below, it’ll contain a “sneak peek” featurette that’ll serve as our first look at the adaptation for one of the Dark Knight’s most popular re-imaginings.
For those unfamiliar, Gotham by Gaslight was originally released in 1989 and ended up starting the “Elseworlds” line of books. Written by Brian Augustyn and drawn by Mike Mignola, it followed the exploits of a Batman residing in the 1800’s, tracking down Jack the Ripper.
Actually, this has been on the filmmakers’ wishlist for years, so we’re happy to see them finally be able to realize their dream. Still, one has to wonder how the source material will adapt to a feature length movie when considering that the page count wasn’t very high. It stands to reason that they’ll either expand the narrative to accommodate for running time or weave in the sequel, Master of the Future, in order to accomplish that. And considering that both stories were collected into the same trade paperback, it doesn’t seem like a wild stretch of the imagination.
There have been a couple instances in the past, though, when they’ve gone this route. The first time was with Batman: Year One, which saw the Catwoman short added as supplemental content in order to give consumers bang for their buck. And, more recently, The Killing Joke had a prologue tacked on in order to flesh out the character of Barbara Gordon.
Right now, Batman: Gotham by Gaslight obviously lacks a release date, but it’s a solid bet that it’ll drop sometime during the first quarter of 2018.
