Talk about killing two birds with one stone. Joss Whedon has always had an affinity towards strong female lead characters, and for years expressed a desire to see more women in superhero movies. For a time, he talked about possibly directing a a Black Widow movie, but after Avengers: Age of Ultron he pretty much parted ways with Marvel. Something else Whedon has always wanted to do? Direct a Batman film, and once teased a female Batman movie idea he had. Well, he's getting a chance to knock both of these out.
Whedon will write and direct Batgirl, and yep, it'll be part of the DC Films universe along with Suicide Squad, 'Batman v Superman', Justice League, and more. Other characters from Gotham City are likely to appear, and I wonder if this will connect with Gotham City Sirens. Presumably it will be Barbara Gordon, daughter of Commissioner Jim Gordon (played by J.K. Simmons), under the mask as she's the most popular Batgirl of all. In the comics, she is eventually shot and paralyzed by the Joker in one of the defining moments in DC Comics history. There have been others who took the mantle of Batgirl, however it's doubtful they'll be the ones Whedon is interested in.
This is pretty early on so details are few, but this is a major coup for Warner Bros. and DC Films. Not only does this give them a second movie with a female star after Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman, but Whedon comes with a hardcore base of fans who are sure to gravitate to this. Plus, he makes movies that are light-hearted and fun, and if he can do for DC what he did for Marvel it could be the surest sign of a tonal shift that we've seen yet. [Variety]
