Update: Entertainment Weekly is reporting that that this version will be Barbara Gordon, daughter of Commissioner Gordon, and the movie will use the DC Comics “New 52” version of the character as a starting point.
It’s unclear as to how much of that series, written by Gail Simone, will be incorporated into Whedon’s film, but sources tell EW the movie will follow Simone’s gritter storyline rather than the more fanciful, niche 'Batgirl of Burnside' series that was rebooted in 2014, featuring the hero as a social-media savvy student living in the hipster-ridden neighborhood of Gotham's Williamburg, New York-like Burnside.
Ladies and gentlemen, my Batcomputer is blowing up over here with the extraordinarily exciting news that Joss Whedon is nearing a deal with Warner Bros. to write, direct and produce an untitled BATGIRL standalone film as part of the DC Extended Universe!
For the moment, no other producers have been named or attached to the project. However, Toby Emmerich, president and chief content officer over at Warner Bros. will oversee the project in collaboration with Jon Berg and Geoff Johns. Obviously, this news comes as a bit of a surprise, seeing as plans for the film began in just the past month.
This also marks a big change in direction for Whedon, who had been instrumental in laying the foundation of Marvel's cinematic universe after having written and directed THE AVENGERS and AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON. As the project comes together, BATGIRL will mark DC's second film to star a female lead after Gal Gadot's WONDER WOMAN (opening in theaters on June 2, 2017).
So far, there is no word as to whether BATGIRL will adhere to a previous incarnation of the Barbara Gordon character, or if Wheadon will find the more recent "Batgril of Burnside" persona to appeal more to his sensibilities for penning characters that are chock-full of sass and finely-tuned brain matter.
You guys, I am so excited about this that I can barely keep my fingers on the keys! I am a huge Barbara Gordon/Batgirl fan and could not be more stoked to hear of someone like Whedon jumping the movie studio fence to make this happen. We'll be sure to report on the details of this project as they roll out. In the meantime, be sure to read either Gail Simone's BATGIRL run or the BATGIRL OF BURNSIDE series from creators Cameron Stewart, Brendan Fletcher and Babs Tarr.
Meanwhile, you can check out DC's other heroes when JUSTICE LEAGUE smashes into theaters on November 17, 2017.