The next DC animated movie to be released after Batman and Harley Quinn has been officially announced, and it will be an adaptation of the critically-acclaimed Elseworlds graphic novel Gotham by Gaslight. It was revealed after fuller details were given regarding the special features on the upcoming Harley Quinn escapade.

Gotham by Gaslight is a major fan-favorite for those who like to see the Dark Knight in an alternative setting, and one we've previously called out as being one of the Batman comics that should be an animated movie. It was published by DC Comics in 1989 as a one-shot, with the story having been written by editor and writer Brian Augustyn. The artwork and design originated from the legendary artist and writer  Mike Mignola (Hellboy) and was inked his frequent work partner P. Craig Russell. The story re-imagines Bruce Wayne in a Victorian world, nd filters every expected ingredient in a Batman story through that concept. It adapts the hero's origin after he returns to Gotham City following a European trip, and introduces Commissioner Gordon and even a brief reference to a Victorian Joker. But mostly it's about the freshly mantled caped crusader trying to deduce the identity of Jack the Ripper, who has started a fresh wave of killings in the US city.

Comic book art of Batman in his 19th-century suit in Gotham by Gaslight.

It's normal for the DVD and Blu-Ray releases to include sneak peeks of the next projects, so with Comicbook.com reporting that this title has just been added to the special features for the Batman and Harley Quinn release, it confirms that the next DC Animation direct-to-video release will be Batman: Gotham by Gaslight. There are currently no further details as to a release date, or who will be performing the voice-acting, although Kevin Conroy (Batman: The Animated Series ) would be the natural expectation for Bruce Wayne, although Jason O'Mara has been taking regular turns as the voice of the caped crusader lately as well.

Gotham by Gaslight was a hugely important graphic novel, and as influential, in its own way, as The Killing Joke. Although it wasn't categorized as such at the time, it is generally accepted as being the very first Elseworlds tale and was later officially branded as such. The Elseworld stories were the DC version of Marvel's What If stories, and placed their most famous characters in unfamiliar surroundings and times. This lead to incredibly popular publications like Superman: Red Son (which is rumored to be tapped for a live-action movie) and Batman: Red Rain (Batman as a vampire). Gotham by Gaslight itself spawned a sequel called Master of the Future which took on more Jules Verne trappings.

Hopefully for such an important story in Batman history, the animated film will give it the respect and tone that it deserves. The Killing Joke got some  criticism for bolting on some contentious additional material to the plot, but that shouldn't be necessary for this story which can easily standalone on its quality of plot and visuals. Until we know more, the only further details will be in the promotional footage included on the Batman and Harley Quinn release. In the meantime, we'll keep you updated with any more information on the Gotham by Gaslight movie.

Batman and Harley Quinn is released on August 29, 2017.

Source: Comicbook.com