Two years after his last contribution to the MCU, the divisive Age of Ultron which saw Whedon receiving a barrage of abuse from fans who hated his depiction of Black Widow in that movie, it seems now Joss is about to throw in his lot with the current DCEU franchise as reports have emerged yesterday that he will write, direct and produce a solo Batgirl movie. The movie according to sources will take inspiration from the New 52 run of the character, following the events of her recovery from being paralysed by the Joker in The Killing Joke.
Needless to say, the reception so far has been something of a mixed bag with some MCU fans scathing over the idea of Whedon in charge of another female superhero while others have fairly expressed disappointment that a female writer/director wasn't chosen for the project similar to how Wonder Woman has a female director with Patty Jenkins and the upcoming Gotham City Sirens has a female writer with Geneva Robertson-Dworet. I have to admit, I can understand the reservations but I'd also like to give Whedon a fair chance before writing off his vision with this potential project.
As for Batgirl/Barbara Gordon herself, the version we heavily associate with the character has been around since 1967, popularised in the comics and by actress Yvonne Craig in Batman '66 with Alicia Silverstone playing a version of the character called Barbara Wilson in 1997's Batman & Robin while 2002 had Dinah Meyer play mostly the Oracle version of the character (and Batgirl in flashbacks) in short lived series, Birds of Prey. The character has also appeared in various animated shows and movies, including 2016's rather polarising version of The Killing Joke, in which elements will no doubt surface in Whedon's upcoming project as well as possibly Gotham City Sirens should the character appear in that movie before Joss can write for her.
And because everyone else is doing it, here's a short list of potential actresses that could be in the running for Batgirl herself ....
1: Alexandria Breckenridge
People will recognise her from appearances in both True Blood and American Horror Story over the last couple of years but Alexandria also previously popped up in Buffy's final season as a character named Kit. It wouldn't be the first time Whedon has worked someone he's previously worked with in the past.
2: Anna Kendrick
Best known for Pitch Perfect and Into The Woods, Kendrick has expressed her interest in working in both the Marvel and DC movie universes in recent times, including a fun little interview with Ben Affleck where she asked to be Robin. Perhaps Batgirl could be the perfect role for the affable actress?
3: Emma Stone
Okay we've already seen her as Gwen Stacey in the Andrew Garfield Spiderman movies in recent times and there are fans who also would be happy to have her as Poison Ivy for Gotham City Sirens but I honestly think the La La Land actress would be a similarly great fit for Batgirl as well and going by some thoughts online, I'm far from a minority there.
4: Jena Malone
I know she's already appeared in the DCEU universe but remember, her scene from Batman V. Superman: Dawn Of Justice was also cut and that she was in a blonde wig at the time during her brief scene with Lois Lane? Also given that there were rumors for the longest time that Malone was meant to be playing Barbara Gordon in that movie, maybe now they can come true.
5: Lindsay Morgan
Best known for her role on The 100 at the moment, the actress has become a sudden contender for the part due to her cryptically tweeting that she's got an exciting project on the horizon. Could she be about to take on one of the best female superhero roles or is it something completely different altogether? I have to admit she's an interesting casting choice if the role is actually hers.
Press Release: http://variety.com/2017/film/news/batgirl-movie-joss-whedon-warner-bros-1202018544/
Who do you want to see play Batgirl and what would you like her movie to be about? To give the DCEU their dues, at least they're more than willing to try more than one female led movie as well.
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