Warner Bros. have had a movie revolving around Batgirl on their radar for some time, and the project has taken a big leap forward as THR has reported that Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, the directors behind Bad Boys for Life, have been tapped to direct the film which will center on Barbra Gordon, daughter of Gotham City police commissioner James Gordon. Birds of Prey screenwriter Christina Hodson has penned the script, and it seems that the movie is being planned as an HBO Max exclusive.
"With Batgirl, we hope to take the audience on a fun ride and see a different side of Gotham," said producer Kristin Burr. "Christina’s script is crackling with spirit. Adil and Bilall have an excited and joyous energy which is infectious, making them the perfect filmmakers for this Batproject. And I’m just psyched I get to be part of the DC universe, which is super cool." The Batgirl movie was once slated to be written and directed by Joss Whedon, but he later dropped out after realizing that he couldn't come up with a story. Christina Hodson has been attached to write the Batgirl movie for several years, and has previously teased that she'll be remaining faithful to the character while also giving fans something new.
There’s a little piece of me in every character I write. They start with me, and then they take on a life of their own. [Barbara Gordon's] been through so many iterations. There’s certain characteristics of hers that are always there that I’m excited to develop further. Whenever I’m writing a character who’s based on someone who’s existed in a previous form, whether it’s comics or a movie or anything, I always hope to bring something new to them and bring them to life in their own way, even if they fairly iconic like Harley Quinn or Batgirl. I think fans want the original, to be honest, but they also want to see something they haven’t seen before.
The Batgirl movie isn't the only superhero project that Adil El Abri and Bilall Fallah are involved in, as the duo have also directed several episodes of Marvel's Ms. Marvel series for Disney+. Production wrapped up earlier this month and the series is expected to launch on Disney+ later this year.