Gotham by Gaslight the 1989 one-shot by Brian Augustyn, Hellboy’s Mike Mignola and P. Craig Russell will be getting an animated adaptation from DC and we are getting our first look at what that will be.
In the one-shot, the first ever Elseworlds story that took DC characters out of their normal environment, a Victorian-era Batman hunts down Jack the Ripper as he goes on a murder spree throughout Gotham.
This sneak peek first appeared in the Batman and Harley Quinn animated film as a special feature.
Executive Producer Bruce Timm commented on how Batman is different in this story than others. “Batman in this story is a little bit more accessible. He’s a little bit more human than what we’re used to seeing in Batman.”
Mike Carlin, the Creative Director of Animation at DC Entertainment, is excited to finally explore the Elseworld stories, “I’m really happy to be doing what we did in the comics which were Elseworlds. DC’s got a tradition of doing what they use to call imaginary stories. You didn’t have to live with the continuity we were establishing in the ‘real’ universe. The rules didn’t apply.”
The movie will showcase a number of other Batman characters. They include Jim Gordon, Barbara Gordon, Poison Ivy, Harvey Dent, Selina Kyle, Harvey Bullock, Hugo Strange, Jason Todd, and Dick Grayson.
While the cast is filled with a number of Batman characters, Bruce Timm noted the content of the story was a little bit tricky. “The subject matter is a little tricky for us because you are basically dealing with a serial killer who murders a bunch of prostitutes. It’s pretty potent stuff.”
Mike Carlin talked about how Jack the Ripper is a challenging villain for Batman. “Jack the Ripper is clearly a more violent villain than most of the Batman villains.” Writer James Krieg added, “He’s icy and he’s almost professional. He’s clearly done this many times. He gets that sick joy out of it.” Then Carlin summed him up, “He’s not just a killer. He’s a surgical killer and if he gets there first, he wins.”
A release date hasn’t been made official for Gotham by Gaslight. Depending on its success, it’s quite possible they might adapt the sequel as well, Master of the Future. Master of the Future was written by Augustyn but was drawn by Eduardo Barreto.