Author Roxane Gay is still interested in writing DC's Batgirl movie, but she insults Justice League to make that happen. The writer expressed her interest in the DCEU's Batgirl movie shortly after it was announced that Joss Whedon was out as director and writer. This alone wasn't too surprising because Gay has written in comics previously, including a spin-off of Marvel's Black Panther series. The shocking thing is that Warner Bros. seemed to be interested in having Gay pen Batgirl's first big-screen outing.
Something that started as a tweet on Gay's part, began to gain traction. Yet given some of Gay's recent tweets, fans might not want to get their hopes up too high of seeing her behind Barbara Gordon or anyone who has worn the Batgirl cape and cowl. Gay's evidently not a fan of the most recent DCEU outing, Justice League, and she's not shy about letting it be known.
Related: Why Joss Whedon Left Batgirl Explained
Although Justice League was released late last year and Roxane Gay is clearly a fan of the source material, she hadn't seen Justice League until its recent home release. After watching the superhero epic, Gay wrote on her Twitter, "It took real efffort [sic] to make Justice League this bad. Definitely let me write Batgirl." She continued her thoughts in a following post explaining, "Two hours felt like four. Boring villain. How is a villain boring???"
Gay's thoughts on the movie are intended to be taken in a slightly tongue-in-cheek manner. The notably outspoken writer obviously wasn't a fan of Justice League, but a review in a little over 150 characters, with a typo, is hardly the most comprehensive. Gay might not have a radically different opinion of Justice League than some fans and critics, which is perfectly fine. However, what may not end up working in her favor is that she turned her negative review of Justice League into a pitch to allow her a part in the DCEU. It's an aggressive strategy and one that seems unlikely to work.
Screenwriter Zack Stentz, who has worked on Thor, X:Men: First Class and The CW's The Flash, pointed out Gay's flawed action plan in a rather assuming way. Stentz wrote on his Twitter, "Is she...negging Warner Brothers? An intriguing strategy."
Negging refers to the dating "technique" that is a form of emotional manipulation wherein a suitor insults the object of their affection in order to lower their self-confidence and increase their desire for them in return. It's hard to look at Gay's tweet as anything but that exact stratagem. Whether or not Gay was intentionally negging Warner Bros., many would agree it's not a good idea to insult a prospective employer, no matter the field.
Justice League does have nearly as many fans as detractors. Yet the numbers don't lie, Justice League is the lowest grossing movie in the DCEU. Warner Bros. does need to change its strategy for how it approaches its superhero properties. DC, sadly, can't compete with Marvel in its current state. So, hiring a writer who didn't like their previous properties and wants to enact change in the franchise isn't the worst idea. That said, a studio may not respond well to a writer that has publicly trashed their movie.
The only thing that seems sure here is Gay's Batgirl script would be a lot different from Justice League. But, it remains to be seen if moviegoers will ever get to see that film materialize.
More: Who Should Replace Joss Whedon As Batgirl Director
Source: Roxane Gay, Zack Stentz
