Although the next three installments in the DC Extended Universe are firmly in place at this point (see Wonder Woman, Justice League and next year's Aquaman), there are several in-development movies that could follow thereafter. Among those projects is a movie featuring the Birds of Prey, with Christina Hodson (the upcoming Bumblebee spinoff) reportedly writing the script for a DCEU project featuring the team (which has enjoyed a resurgence in the world of DC Comics recently).
Many fans seem to agree that Birds of Prey would make for a great female character-driven addition to the DCEU. Beyond that, rumors have swirled for years that regular team leader Batgirl could even get her own solo DCEU film. Director Nicholas Winding Refn expressed interest in directing a DCEU-set Batgirl film only last year, and the more recent announcement of a Nightwing DCEU film further boosts the likelihood of another Batman sidekick getting the spotlight.
Variety has now surprised everyone by announcing that a Batgirl movie is in fact being developed by DC and Warner Bros. Even more astonishing, Avengers 1 & 2 filmmaker Joss Whedon is lining up to write, direct, and produce the film. The ink on the deal isn't dry quite yet, and no other details about the project have been revealed at this stage, but expect confirmation and more information to follow soon.
While the news of a Batgirl film may not be a total shock, it's exciting nonetheless for fans of the character and female superheroes in general. Like the Nightwing, movie, however, it's still unclear how DC plans to introduce Batman's various sidekicks into the DCEU. It could be that the Dark Knight's upcoming solo outing will lay the groundwork, but there's a lot that's still unknown at this point. The biggest, question, of course, is who will play the young hero.
Some recent fan art showed us Emma Stone as Batgirl - an intriguing prospect, given her talents. With so little known about Batman's past in the DCEU, however, it's hard to even speculate as to the age of his sidekicks—which makes guessing who could play Barbara Gordon even more challenging. Then again, with her surrogate father Commissioner Jim Gordon set to be introduced in Justice League, perhaps a nod to the character will be made later this year.
Batgirl has shown up in a few animated projects at this point, but not all of them have done her justice (see last year's Killing Joke animated movie controversy, for cast in point). Luckily, Whedon's skills with both superheroes and strong female characters will go a long way to assuring fans that Batgirl will be a stellar representation of the character.
NEXT: Every DCEU Movie Currently in Development
Source: Variety
