Whenever any actor is cast as the Joker – be it in live action or animation – fans immediately begin wondering what their laugh will sound like. After all, it’s quite apparent on the printed page that the Clown Prince of Crime’s mirth comes from a place of malevolence and mania, so any translation to screen must leave a lasting impression.
I think the bigger challenge may come in the form of making the cackling distinct from predecessors, but we really can’t complain if someone gives a valiant effort. I’m immediately reminded of how Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight) and Kevin Michael Richardson (The Batman) had to follow Jack Nicholson (Batman) and Mark Hamill (Batman: The Animated Series) in their respective fields, yet both opened us up to new realms of madness.
Though a wide array of talented actors have stepped up to the plate in the time since, the next fella to do so on the animation side is that of Alan Tudyk. In case you hadn’t heard, he’ll lend his pipes to the Joker in the upcoming Harley Quinn animated series. In fact, you can sample his laugh in the new promo embedded at the top of this article.
In addition to that, you can also hear a little of Tudyk’s character voice established for his iteration of the Joker throughout this featurette. At first, I thought he’d carry over his Mr. Nobody voice from Doom Patrol, yet he’s gone in somewhat of a different direction.
If you’d like to hear more from the main cast, know that Kaley Cuoco (Harley Quinn), Lake Bell (Poison Ivy), Jim Rash (the Riddler), Tony Hale (Dr. Psycho), Ron Funches (King Shark) and even Diedrich Bader (Batman) put in appearances. Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing how the animated world that is Gotham City can be brought to life with a TV-MA rating, so count me in.
Harley Quinn premieres this fall on DC Universe.
