Joss Whedon is a name that stirs excitement in the science fiction and comic book world. From his killer creations, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, his heart-breaking, beloved Firefly, to cinematic blockbusters such as Cabin in the Woods and the first two Avengers, it is no question that Joss Whedon is an asset to have. The director of Wonder Woman, Patty Jenkins, is certainly contributing to the commotion and excitement of the news!
Whedon is nearing a deal to write, direct, and produce the untitled Batgirl film for Warner Bros. DC Extended Universe. Jenkins says, “I don’t even know if that deal is done or not – I don’t have the inside scoop on that. But if it is done, then I’m excited about it.”
Batgirl is the third female centered superhero film from the DCEU. The first being Wonder Woman, and followed by Gotham City Sirens, which carries Catwoman, Harley Quinn, and Poison Ivy. Just like Wonder Woman and Supergirl, Batgirl has been a strong, iconic character among female superheroes. As the daughter of the famous Police Commissioner of Gotham City, Jim Gordon, and a student and pseudo-family member of Batman, having a film on her narrative would give a wonderful impact.
If her film narrative includes one of the most tragic events of Batman’s story arcs, The Killing Joke, where she is tortured and paralyzed by the Joker and becomes Oracle afterwards, then that would give another representation. A narrative and view on members of the disabled community as well as female representation. It is already sad to see other canonical representation of this erased in other films, such as Hawkeye’s hearing disability which is ignored in the MCU, not to mention it won’t be until 2019 that Marvel released its first female superhero film. DC is doing a bang up job with being inclusive and adding disabled representation would be something wondrously appreciated.
Jenkins continues, “I think it’s super exciting. The tone of Joss’ work is great for female superheroes. He takes such a fun approach and I think he’ll have fun in the DC universe, which will be excited to have him.”
Wonder Woman will enter theaters June 2nd of this year. Gal Gadot has been a wonderful choice for this role. Jenkins tells the Sun: “Gal’s supernaturally beautiful and unbelievably kind and thoughtful and intelligent and wise, yet bright and youthful and hopeful in such a sweet way.”
In the picture above, released recently, with Gadot in full uniform, one can see how truly goddess-like she stands, and how true Jenkins’ words are.
If Whedon is added to the collection of directors for this powerful, dramatic universe, I know his work would be awe-striking. He has the perfect tones down, and his attitude is perfect for the DCEU. He has always done wonders for female representation, breaking boundaries and unspoken unjust cinematic rules.
Jenkins’ mentions her excitement of the other DCEU directors:
“There are a lot of directors I’m really excited about and the storylines are all vastly different, with different tones and very different approaches to storytelling. I think there’s a treasure trove of great characters here. Jason (Momoa) is off to do Aquaman right now – that’s such a cool story. It has its own vibe and dynamic completely. I’m excited to see each one of these films.”