The DC Extended Universe is a tricky place. While its recent blockbusters Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad were met with icy critical receptions, the DCEU hasn't shown any signs of slowing down. In fact, a variety of new projects have recently been announced, as DC attempts to compete with the massive juggernaut that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Chief among these new DCEU projects is Joss Whedon's Batgirl movie, which will bring Barbara Gordon to the silver screen for the first time since Alicia Silverstone's rough stint in Batman and Robin.
Given his past work, Joss Whedon seems like the perfect director to bring Batgirl into the current superhero movie lexicon. He recently revealed how the project came to be (via EW), and it's a surprising story.
We weren't even talking about Batgirl -- it came up as part of another conversation and then we all got so excited that the movie suddenly appeared. So that's a really good sign to me. It wasn't a slot they were trying to fill. We all just started talking about her and then I couldn't stop. So, that's a good feeling.
It looks like a good old fashioned session of brainstorming has actually willed the upcoming Batgirl movie into existence. And this could be a very positive sign for the still developing film.
The organic development of the untitled Batgirl film will likely result in a higher quality movie than some of the pre planned installments. Because previously announced films can go through various directors, writers, and cast members before development ends. And by the time the final team is assembled, they may not actually be all that invested in the film itself.
Conversely, Joss Whedon is able to create the untitled Batgirl movie from the ground up. No studio hired him to helm a pre-exsiting project. Instead, his original ideas happened to be greenlit by the DCEU.
And honestly, I'm not sure I can think of a more appropriate director for a movie about Barbara Gordon; Joss Whedon's bread and butter is strong female characters. Many audiences best know the Avengers director from his outstanding work on seven seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Additionally, his Eliza Dushku led sci-fi series Dollhouse has plenty of badass females as well. We also can't forget his work with Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow in the first two Avengers movie, which is when the character truly cemented itself into the MCU after her introduction in Iron Man 2.
But we'll have to do some serious waiting before any concrete details about the Batgirl movie become public. In the meantime, be sure to check out our 2017 premiere list to plan your next trip to the movies. The DCEU's next installment is Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman, hitting theaters on June 2nd.
