Joss Whedon is in talks to develop an untitled Batgirl movie, according to new reports.
Sources claim the filmmaker will write, produce, and direct a movie based on the DC Comics character, which will also feature Gotham City villains. It is unclear if Batman, who is being played by Ben Affleck in the upcoming Justice League film, will make an appearance.
Batgirl was first introduced into the DC Comics universe in 1961, as Betty Kane. In 1967 she was replaced by Barbara Gordon, the daughter of Gotham City police commissioner James Gordon.
The character was first portrayed on screen by Yvonne Craig in the third season of TV series Batman in 1967, and she has been voiced by Jane Webb and Tara Strong in animated films, while Rosario Dawson took on the character for The Lego Batman Movie.
Alicia Silverstone also played a version of the character in 1997’s Batman & Robin, which starred George Clooney, Chris O’Donnell, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Uma Thurman. The Clueless star’s character, Barbara Wilson, was the niece of Batman’s loyal butler Alfred Pennyworth.
If Buffy the Vampire Slayer mastermind Joss Whedon signs on to the new Batgirl film, it will mark a big shift in the superhero movie universe – he also wrote and directed rival Marvel’s The Avengers in 2012 and sequel Avengers: Age of Ultron three years later (15). The 52-year-old is also the creator of TV show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., a series based on the top secret organization behind The Avengers. The show, starring Clark Gregg, premiered in 2013.
