Originally published March 30, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
It appears Warner Bros. is ready to expand the DCEU – the Batman side of it, at least – even more as Variety has reported that the studio is finalizing a deal for The Avengers director Joss Whedon to write, direct and produce a Batgirl spin-off film.
Batgirl seems to have originated in the studio the past month as plans post-Justice League have grown. Toby Emmerich, president and chief content officer of Warner Bros. Pictures Group, has joined Jon Berg and Geoff Johns to oversee the film.
Batgirl is one of DC’s most popular female superheroes. The daughter of police commissioner Jim Gordon, Barbara Gordon joined Batman in his fight against crime in Gotham City. At one point in her career she was shot and paralyzed by The Joker, though this didn’t stop her from fighting crime as she became Oracle, the computer and tech wizard of the Justice League. She eventually formed her own group of female heroes called the Birds of Prey and, with DC’s rebooted universe in The New 52, gained back the use of her legs and became Batgirl once again.
Currently WB is getting ready to shoot James Wan’s Aquaman in Australia while a sequel to Suicide Squad is being developed with Mel Gibson eyed as director and David Ayer is working on Gotham City Sirens, a film focusing on Harley Quinn and rumoured to also feature Poison Ivy and Catwoman. War for the Planet of the Apes‘ Matt Reeves recently signed on to direct The Batman, filling the void left by Ben Affleck’s departure from the director’s chair.
Whether Batgirl will spin out of Batman or Gotham City Sirens remains to be seen, but with the additional knowledge that Chris McKay has been tapped to direct a solo film for Nightwing – Batman’s former first Robin Dick Grayson – WB is clearly intent on growing the Batman side of the DCEU.
Joss Whedon is known among geek culture for several of his works, most prominently the television series Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Firefly. He was even tapped to write and direct Wonder Woman nearly a decade ago, but got his chance to work on a comic book film with Marvel’s Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Hopefully a deal can be inked out between Whendon and WB for this film to be made.
