The Hollywood Reporter has learned that Bad Boys for Life filmmakers, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, will direct a Batgirl movie.
Christina Hodson has been tapped to write the script. Her previous film credits include Birds of Prey, Bumblebee, and The Flash. Kristin Burr (Disney’s Cruella) will be producing.
“With Batgirl, we hope to take the audience on a fun ride and see a different side of Gotham,” Burr said. “Christina’s script is crackling with spirit. Adil and Bilall have an excited and joyous energy which is infectious, making them the perfect filmmakers for this Batproject. And I’m just psyched I get to be part of the DC universe, which is super cool.”
Batgirl will center around Barbra Gordon, daughter of Gotham City police commissioner James Gordon. The last time Batgirl appeared in a film was in 1997’s Batman & Robin.
Joss Whedon previously signed on in March 2017 to pen the script for Batgirl, but left over a year later when he couldn’t get his idea off the ground. “It had been a year since I first pitched the story,” Whedon explained. “A lot happened in that year, and I felt some of the elements might not work as well. The story sort of crumbled in my hands. There were elements that I just hadn’t mastered, that, after a long time, I felt I wasn’t going to. So, I told people I didn’t have an idea, which isn’t the exact truth—I had an idea, it just sort of didn’t fit in the space that was left for it.”
Justice League star Ray Fisher accused Whedon last year of “gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable” behavior while on set. Charisma Carpenter also alleged Whedon he abused his power on the set of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. Gal Gadot confirmed that Whedon threatened her career during reshoots.
Warner Bros. reportedly plans on releasing the film on HBO Max.
