Once upon a time, Joss Whedon wrote a script for a Wonder Woman movie. It did not get made, and we were all very sad. However, it turns out that Whedon is not done with the DC universe.
According to Variety, Whedon is nearing a deal to write, direct, and produce a standalone Batgirl movie. The most popular iteration of the character is Barbara Gordon, who fought alongside Batman and Robin until the Joker shot her in the spine in The Killing Joke. Determined to still fight crime, Gordon took on the identity of Oracle, and provided digital support to the Caped Crusader.
While it’s unknown what direction Whedon’s Batgirl will take or how she’ll be introduced, but Variety reports that “The project will also feature other characters from the world of Gotham.” Whether that means we’ll also be seeing Batman (Ben Affleck), Nightwing (currently in development with Chris McKay directing), or any members of the Suicide Squad or Gotham City Sirens (the latter also in development with David Ayer directing) remains to be seen.
That being said, it’s incredibly exciting to not only see Whedon return to superhero films, but in particular a female-driven superhero movie. Furthermore, while other DC films have been plagued with re-writes and switching out directors, it looks like Warner Bros. is giving full creative control over to Whedon for Batgirl, which is the smart move. The character has name recognition, and the studio can sell it with “From the Director of The Avengers”. Additionally, I assume that they’re going to land an A-list actress for the project (let the fancasting begin!).
While Zack Snyder’s take on Batman has leaned towards the dark and gritty, I’ll be curious to see what direction Whedon takes the character. In her most recent iteration, writers Brenden Fletcher and Cameron Stewart provided a fun, light look at the character that still dealt with her earlier trauma of being attacked by the Joker (her spine had been repaired with experimental surgery in an earlier run).
What do you want to see in Joss Whedon’s Batgirl? Who do you think should play the title role? Sound off in the comments section.
