Joss Whedon to direct Batgirl

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**reds8n**

https://www.bleedingcool.com/2017/03/30/joss-wheadon-bring-batgirl-life-big-screen/

Holy big news Batfans! Variety reports the dynamic Batgirl is finally getting her own solo film from Joss Whedon. Whedon is finalizing a deal with DC to write, direct, and produce a Batgirl solo film for the DC extended universe. No one else has been attached to the film as of yet. Stay tuned here for updates as they happen.

https://www.bleedingcool.com/2017/03/30/batgirl-dceu-hints-weve-already-seen-barbara-gordon-oracle-might-mean-nightwing-gotham-city-sirens/

With word breaking earlier today that Warner Bros will be making a Batgirl movie written and directed by Joss Whedon, several questions quickly came to mind, including: Which Batgirl would it be? EW has just been told 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.

In that timeline, launched in 2011, Barbara Gordon has recovered from a paralyzing spinal injury notoriously inflicted on her by the Joker in the 1988 graphic novel The Killing Joke. In the earlier books, that damage confined her to a wheelchair and ended her flying, swinging, punching career as Batgirl — but she continued to fight the good fight under the name Oracle as a super-hacker.

This does fit with a few clues that we’ve already seen in Batman v Superman — and elsewhere. First, we have this screencap from Reddit, showing “Oracle Network” on Bruce Wayne’s computer system.

Not much by itself, but that’s fleshed out a bit in The Gotham And Metropolis Time Out Travel Guide (which is turning into a nifty cache of DCEU Easter Eggs), which has a listing for The Clock Tower — which is of course Oracle’s HQ:

That’s another nice tidbit, although it still doesn’t tell us too much — except that if this theory fits, it soon won’t be open by appointment. But then there’s also this: last month, Gotham City Sirens director David Ayer tweeted a pic of Black Mask, which was widely interpreted as meaning that the character would be the villain of the film. Of course… Black Mask also has some major history with Oracle, both centered around the destruction of the Clock Tower and otherwise, and since we’re going there — Nightwing has history with Black Mask too. Obviously, we’re mixing New 52 and pre-New 52 influences here, but given what we’ve seen of the DCEU so far, they’d pretty much have to be.

Which is still a lot more smoke than fire, except for one final thing: One very early rumor about the script for Ben Affleck‘s The Batman, went like this:

Having also laid out DC’s “phase 2” plans, the anonymous poster has also said that The Joker and Black Mask will be the major big bads in the solo film. On top of that, Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon will also appear (hopefully meaning we’ll see Nightwing and Oracle).
That doesn’t sound like the exact form of what’s shaping up now, but it sure does seem to include most of the elements that they are putting together here. During Affleck’s well-publicized on-again, off-again departure from scriptwriting duties for The Batman, one quote he dropped that may fit in this context was: “I’m a real believer in not reverse-engineering projects to meet a window or a date, but rather when you get the right story, or the right idea, or you get the right thing, then you make the movie.”

That quote — particularly the ‘reverse engineer’ part — could be interpreted as Affleck’s frustration at having to script to a target that included several important external parameters that were part of the bigger picture of the DCEU Gotham films. This is just a theory, of course, but it’s been pretty clear over the past few months that Warner Bros wants the same sort of cohesive cinematic universe that Marvel has, and it’s starting to look like it might already be planned down to some very specific details.

**Easy E**

I am all for it.

**Crazy_Carnifex**

The good news: Jess Whedon.

The Bad News: the DCEU

**Manchu**

Joss Whedon is not a magic bullet.

**gorgon**

Whedon is sometimes too "Whedon" for his own good, and you end up with overwritten quipfests like Age of Ultron.

Although Avengers has its faults, I give Whedon tons of credit for pulling it off. That was no easy thing to manage. But I think Batgirl probably has a scope and focus that's a more natural fit for his skillset.

**Ouze**

I am fairly excited about this idea. I wonder if they are going to go with the excellent Batgirl: Year 1 as a base.

**Breotan**

Manchu wrote:
Joss Whedon is not a magic bullet.

I'm not a Whedon fanboy but they certainly could do worse. Even if he does make Batgirl fun, he'll still have problems with the studio. I blame Warner Brothers for most, if not all of the DC movie problems (looking at you, Suicide Squad). It seems like they've got their own version of Kirby (former GW CEO) making decisions about how comic book movies "should" be done.

**Manchu**

I think you just spelled out my point there.

**gorgon**

WB is known to be a director-friendly studio. Trusting a director's vision is traditionally their thing. I don't think the issue with BvS was in too much oversight, but in giving Snyder too much room to develop his personal vision. I'm really more of a Snyder defender than hater, but I don't think its problems were inevitable or unsolveable. FWIW, I kinda like the 3-hour 'Ultimate Edition'...but it's too long for theaters. And the theatrical version cut too much of the connective tissue in the story.

It was after BvS got the reviews it did that WB got active with SS, leading to the infamous recut. Geoff Johns moved into a Feige-like role, but then the infamous 'creative differences' cropped up, leading to some director departures. Apparently Reeves has full creative control on Batman and Wan has the same thing on Aquaman, so it seems like WB's flirtation with Marvel-style studio-driven films was short-lived.

I don't think Snyder or Jenkins had full control over JL or WW, so we'll see how it goes. From interviews I've read, it sounds like it didn't bother Jenkins much and that the studio vision fit hers anyway. Snyder...might have felt the handcuffs more. We'll see.

**BobtheInquisitor**

Well, I can't think of any time in the past where Joss Whedon had studio problems while making a lynchpin comic book-movie-universe movie resulting in a mess of a film and a high-profile meltdown on Whedon's part. So, I guess we don't need to worry about that happening.

**gorgon**

I think the point is that he probably wouldn't have signed on if he didn't get the control that Reeves and Wan got.

**BobtheInquisitor**

I'm sure they promised him whatever he wanted to get his name attached to the project. They will no doubt respect the agreement and the process as if they were dealing with Affleck himself.

**chromedog**

"Joss, if you sign up for this, you'll never have to make a Firefly reunion."

"Where do I sign?"

I don't blame him.

**Breotan**

Manchu wrote:
I think you just spelled out my point there.

I was trying to expand on the idea but yea, I guess I did.

**Turnip Jedi**

Whedon ? New 52 ? Think I'll be sticking to the DC Legoverse as my preferred hero hijinx

**KingCracker**

chromedog wrote:
"Joss, if you sign up for this, you'll never have to make a Firefly reunion."

"Where do I sign?"

I don't blame him.

I chuckled but yes, this. I also really like FireFly and Serenity but cmon people that show is getting on in years, just let it lie ya?

**insaniak**

KingCracker wrote:

I chuckled but yes, this. I also really like FireFly and Serenity but cmon people that show is getting on in years, just let it lie ya?

No! You can't stop the signal!

**Turnip Jedi**

insaniak wrote:
KingCracker wrote:

I chuckled but yes, this. I also really like FireFly and Serenity but cmon people that show is getting on in years, just let it lie ya?

No! You can't stop the signal!

With hindsight it was for the best, I'm not a big fan of Joss but he can deliver, what he seems to struggle with is sustaining an idea, Buffy, Angel and Dollhouse later seasons tended to peter out, he might deliver this time, although I suspect DC meddling will occur if its not the mandatory fun they are happy with a la Antman

**chromedog**

insaniak wrote:

No! You can't stop the signal!

It's been 12 years, let it go.

Besides, it's being written by Uwe Boll.

**insaniak**

chromedog wrote:
insaniak wrote:

No! You can't stop the signal!

It's been 12 years, let it go..

Actually, I mostly have... My wife and I have discussed this on a few occasions, and have pretty much come to the conclusion that as much as new Firefly would be awesome, without Wash and Shepard Book, it just wouldn't be the same show. The only way it could work would be to jump back before Serenity and do an animated series... and even there, they would sadly have to find a different voice actor for Book.

Or start over with a different crew entirely.

I think a large part of the reason that it's hard to let go of is simply that good scifi series are still so few and far between. There's been very little in those twelve years to grab the imagination the way Firefly did.

But, you know, superheroes are good, too...

**KingCracker**

Pff....super hero movies have worn themselves thin with me. At first I was glad to be finally getting decent to good superhero movies but now....uhg those can stop too lol

**AduroT**

Been enjoying the Serenity comic books myself.