Semi OT-new Birds of Prey (harley quinn) posters

DC's Batgirl movie will reportedly tie-in directly with The Batman. Though the female iteration of the famed crime fighting caped crusader has been around since 1961 (some 22 years after Batman made his first appearance), to date, Batgirl has never had her own standalone feature film.



With the success of the Batgirl comic series and an upcoming Batwoman series set to launch October 6 on the CW, it’s evident that fans are eager to see a female counterpart to Batman share a little bit of the superhero’s spotlight. There had been rumours for some time that Warner Bros. was indeed planning a Batgirl movie, but as time passed, it didn’t seem as though the project was getting any closer to getting on track. However, with the search currently underway for a female director, it appears that Warner has gotten over its brief stumble with director Joss Whedon (who lamented that he simply couldn't find a story in the concept), as well as growing calls for Batgirl to be directed by a woman. Having found a female screenwriter in Christina Hodson (Bumblebee), Warner has placed Batgirl at the top of its list of upcoming releases, and a female director will likely be found soon enough.



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Warner Bros. Reportedly Prioritizing Batgirl Director Search



In fact, just in case Batgirl fans were doubtful over whether a feature film starring their beloved hero would be arriving any time soon, a new article by Forbes looks to reveal numerous things about Warner’s much anticipated and upcoming The Batman. Most interesting for Batgirl fans is that her new movie will reportedly directly tie-in with The Batman. Exactly how Batgirl will become a part of the film or to what degree is currently unknown, but even this tiny reveal is big news for fans.



Batgirl 36 Comic Cover Face

So far, what's known about Matt Reeves’ The Batman is that it intends to pack quite a punch. Rumored to be an adaptation of The Long Halloween storyline, The Batman looks set to introduce a vast array of characters into its plot – some of which are of course villains, and some of which are heroes. In this respect, there’s ample opportunity for Batgirl to find a place, allowing for that film’s story to perhaps take shape within one of The Batman’s subplots. And with the names that are currently being offered up as potential cast members for The Batman - such as Jonah Hill and Jeffrey Wright, there’s likely to be a star-studded cast in the works. Exactly who'll play Batgirl remains a mystery as well, but so far the promise of something truly spectacular being delivered seems to be growing with each passing day.



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If there's a concern to be raised over this apparent tie-in between The Batman and Batgirl, it’s that Reeves and DC will overdo a good thing in terms of The Batman’s cast. Too many characters - whether they be wildly popular villains or heroes, can sometimes swallow up the story itself, leaving little more than a visual experience with no real substance. This has happened in the past, particularly with Joel Schumacher’s Batman films, and it would be a shame for Batgirl to get its start from a film that failed to reach the lofty expectations already set upon it. But of course, it’s far too early for such worries. For now, news that Batgirl will be arriving (in some form at least) sooner rather than later is still great news for fans.

The first trailer for Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) debuted last week, providing fans with the first full look at the DC Extended Universe's next entry. The ensemble film will follow a team-up between some of DC's most beloved female characters, such as Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco), and Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez). Leading up to and following the trailer's release, fans have wondered why Barbara Gordon isn't part of the film's ensemble -- but it sounds like it's for a good reason. Gail Simone, who had an iconic run on both Batgirl and Birds of Prey, recently took to Twitter to voice her excitement for the upcoming movie. When a fan mentioned their disappointment that Barbara isn't featured in Birds of Prey, Simone reassured fans that "a lot of love" for Barbara will soon be coming in the movies.



I am a little bummed about Barbara but she is getting a LOT of love coming soon in other DC movies, so... t.co/qUg7RWri73



— GAIL SIMONE (@gailsimone) October 6, 2019

Barbara's presence in the DCEU has been something fans have been hoping for, ever since a Batgirl solo film was initially put into development years ago. While Barbara Gordon has yet to be officially cast, the film is being written by Birds of Prey scribe Christina Hodson. A report from August indicated that the film currently searching of a director.





“I can say so little about this one, but I can tell you I'm having so much fun writing her." Hodson told ComicBook.com late last year. "She is such a great character and so different than [Birds of Prey's] Harley [Quinn]. Yeah, I'm having a blast, and I can't tell you any of the things that I'm doing! I'm just excited for her to be holding her own against all the other superheroes.”



"I’m in the middle of falling in love with her," Hodson said in a subsequent interview. "I always feel differently at the beginning, middle, and end. Charlie feels like an old friend now, because that was a while ago and because she is so personally inspired. Harley just feels like my crazy alter ego. When I’m feeling nuts, that’s what Harley is. And Batgirl… honestly, it’s funny, there’s a little piece of me in every character I write. They start with me, and then they take on a life of their own."


"She’s been through so many iterations," Hodson said. "There’s certain characteristics of hers that are always there that I’m excited to develop further. Whenever I’m writing a character who’s based on someone who’s existed in a previous form, whether it’s comics or a movie or anything, I always hope to bring something new to them and bring them to life in their own way, even if they fairly iconic like Harley Quinn or Batgirl. I think fans want the original, to be honest, but they also want to see something they haven’t seen before."



Upcoming DC movies include Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) on February 7, 2020, Wonder Woman 1984 on June 5, 2020, The Batman on June 25, 2021, The Suicide Squad on August 6, 2021, and Aquaman 2 on December 16, 2022.