Batgirl: Joss Whedon On What Makes Barbara Gordon Tick

Once Joss Whedon bowed out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe after ushering in the Age of Ultron, many feared that the esteemed director would never return to the realm of comic book movies. That all changed in a flash though after it was confirmed that Whedon had signed on to write, direct and produce a Batgirl spinoff movie for Warner Bros. and DC.

Three weeks on from that whirlwind announcement and the one-time Avengers director is now beginning to offer up some clues as to how he’s approaching the project – including the possibility of casting an unknown in the title role of Barbara Gordon. The Hollywood Reporter caught up with Joss Whedon at Wednesday’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 premiere event – Kevin Feige and the creative team at Marvel “couldn’t be more supportive” of his Batgirl film, despite rumors to the contrary – and it was here that Whedon spoke a little more about the actual character of Batgirl, and why he can’t wait to delve into her backstory and ultimately reveal why she takes up the mantle in the first place.

Per THR:

She came up, and I started getting obsessed with how a young woman could get hardcore enough to need to put on the cowl. Like, What’s her damage? She didn’t have her parents killed in an alley. Who is this person, who decides — rather than being forced to by their childhood trauma — decides to pick up this life? How intense and driven that person is … I just couldn’t stop thinking about it.

As one of the most iconic characters lining the DC slate, there’s a tremendous amount of support swirling around the Batgirl movie, even if it is still incubating in the formative stages of development. Ditto for Nightwing and Matt Reeves’ dogged Batman film, though we expect to catch some form of casting announcement for either project before the year’s end.

Batgirl is officially a go at DC, and Joss Whedon is in the driving seat. That sentence alone is enough to leave some fans weak at the kness, but what are your preliminary thoughts on the project? Let us know in the usual place.