DC and Warner Bros have finally decided to give us a female superhero movie! Even better than a standalone Batgirl movie will be the fact that Joss Whedon will write, direct and produce it!
Ok, first, we have to say, if we ever thought a female superhero was gonna get a standalone movie, Barbara Gordon would never be our guess.
Ok, Wonder Woman was the logical first choice, but for the second one, this is kind of a shocking pick. Wonder Woman with Gal Gadot playing the famous Amazon will be released on June 2, 2017, with Patty Jenkins as director. From what we heard, Whedon hoped to get this one, but it seems that he is pleased with doing Batgirl instead.
Why is Batgirl the Movie such a surprise?
Barbara Gordon is one of the most important characters in Batman comic books, but her independent comics were never that successful.
At first, she appeared in 1967’s Detective Comics #359 as the studious daughter of Commissioner James Gordon, who secretly moonlighted as the thrill-seeking Batman’s sidekick Batgirl.
Eventually, she became a part of the Bat-family and joined Batman and his posse on their crime-fighting mission. That was before she was paralyzed by the Joker in the iconic animated film The Killing Joke. After this, Barbara became another kind of aspirational figure for children with disabilities when she assumed the role of Oracle where she operated from a wheelchair. Recently, in the Post-Flashpoint DCU, her time as the Oracle has been retconned, and she’s been solo crime-fighting since in the Batgirl comic book series.
These comics are unfortunately not such a hit because it seems that Barbara was always too bland for the audiences to relate to, or gain interest in.
But if anyone can do it, Whedon can!
Seriously, Joss Whedon is the super-geek we need to do every superhero movie!
Since the news was broken that WB will go ahead with a Batgirl movie and that she will stand apart from Ben Affleck’s Batman in DC Extended Universe, we weren’t all that certain about the future of this upcoming movie. And then, another bit of news came – Whedon got an impressive deal from the studio, and he has signed to direct, write and produce this superheroine film. At the moment, there are no other producers attached, we just know that the picture will be overseen by Warner Bros’s Toby Emmerich, Jon Berg, and Geoff Johns.
Whedon has a long career behind him, creating and writing for amazing female characters. His epic Buffy the Vampire Slayer just had its 25th anniversary, and Sarah Michelle Gellar as the Slayer is still as intriguing and attention-grabbing as ever. Here we can catch a glimpse of the future of Batgirl. In Buffy, every female character had depth, her own voice, and an ass-kicking attitude. He wrote the first lesbian on screen couple that wasn’t a tired trope – Willow and Tara, tough witches in love. He had shown that every character can evolve, and placed a stereotypical blonde cheerleader in a male lead role environment.
He didn’t stop there. Just remember Summer Glau as River Tam in the Firefly and Serenity.
Of course, his huge success with 2012’s The Avengers is what made him an A-list director. Interestingly enough, he seemed to enjoy his micro-budgeted Much Ado About Nothing far more than the big budget superhero sequel that came afterward. This is just a guess, but we think this is the main reason for his loyalty shift from Marvel to DC. Here he will have much more creative control than he did on Avengers: Age of Ultron. And from all of his television endeavors, we know he loves to have complete creative control, and it always brings great results.
The hype can begin!
Rumor is that the movie will be based on Ardian Syaf and Gail Simone’s recent run on the character in the New 52, which follows Batgirl after her miraculous recovery from a spinal injury while taking on new villains.
But, speculations do not end there. Comic forums are buzzing with possibilities, because there have been other characters who have taken the mantle of Batgirl, at one time or another. Cassandra Cain (who would be an awesome fit), Bette Kane, Stephanie Brown, Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe, and Helena Bertinelli all wore this character’s cape.
So, we cannot even claim that it will certainly be Barbara Gordon! But, are we in for a fun ride! Whedon knows how to write compelling heroes, an intriguing story and how to set a perfect pace that will keep you glued to the seat. There is no word on who will be the lead, which super villain will Batgirl fight, or even if there is a shooting start date set.
Unfortunately, all this leads to the fact that there is no release date set yet, but as soon as we hear anything, we promise to let you know!