As far as alternate universe stories go, Gotham By Gaslight isn't one of Batman's best-known series, but it's easily one of the most influential. Set near the end of the 19th century, Gotham By Gaslight focuses on a low-tech Dark Knight fighting against none other than Jack the Ripper. It might sound bizarre at first, but it helped establish the modern incarnation of DC's Elseworlds brand.
Now, thanks to a group of ridiculously dedicated fans, the Dark Knight's trip to London will be the subject of its own short film. Considering that Batman traipsing around London in the 1880s is far too niche for Hollywood to ever touch, the only way a tale of the Dark Knight versus Jack the Ripper could make it the big screen is the fans doing it themselves — and that's exactly what's happened.
Despite production delays and casting changes, Ripper is currently on-track for a release this year. Even better, the fan-film's first teaser just made its way online — so far, it looks like Ripper is definitely headed in the right direction.
For a fan-based, crowdfunded film, Ripper looks great. True, it's not on the same epic scale as Warner Bros. films, but it doesn't have to be: the filmmakers have taken advantage of their small budget to create something that's vastly more intimate than any other Batman movie out there. It's tight, it's claustrophobic, it's eerie — which is exactly what a story like Ripper should be.
If there's any one thing that does stand out as strange, it's the soundtrack: London circa 1888 probably isn't the first thing people think of when they hear synth strings. Basically, the Ripper trailer almost sounds like an '80s slasher flick — to be fair, that's basically what Jack the Ripper was, but the music feels a little out-of-place.
Audio nitpicking aside, Ripper looks great: most fan-films never look this polished, even when finished, and Ripper isn't even done yet. As a matter of fact, the film just entered into its second Indiegogo campaign — if you want to help the filmmakers out, you can head over to the official Ripper project page to donate.
If things go according to plan, Ripper should make its grand debut this September.
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