Batgirl is getting her own film with Buffy creator Joss Whedon signed on as director

MOVE over, Batman! Batgirl is getting her own DC movie — and fans are abuzz over a Marvel honcho who’s jumping ship to direct the new project.

IT’S not a long list — yet — but another lady superhero is suiting up for duty with Batgirl getting her own movie as part of the DC Extended Universe.

The biggest surprise for fans in the Batgirl revelation is who will oversee the film: Joss Whedon is in talks with Warner Bros to jump ship from Marvel to DC to write, produce and direct.

And that has comic book fans abuzz.

Jarrod Welsh, of Melbourne store Classic Comics, is “ecstatic” at the news.

Joss Whedon has an impressive track record in creating captivating, kick-butt female characters. Picture: AP

“To hear Joss Whedon will be developing a Batgirl flick is like finally finding that missing piece in a jigsaw puzzle. One of those head-slapping moments where the answer is so obvious but you never even considered it,” Welsh told News Corp Australia this morning.

Whedon, who steered the first two Avengers film to mega box office, thus firming the foundations of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has a great track record of creating kick-butt heroines in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dollhouse and Firefly/Serenity.

“Strong female role models are (Whedon’s) wheelhouse. He didn’t just set the mould with Buffy the Vampire Slayer — he broke it,” said Welsh.

“He gets ensembles, too. That has the fan in me ecstatic about the flavour he will bring to the DCEU.”

Alicia Silverstone was Batgirl in 1997’s Batman & Robin. Picture: Warner Bros

The Batgirl character pops up in the new LEGO Batman Movie (voiced by Rosario Dawson), but hasn’t been played in a live-action film since Alicia Silverstone donned the cape 20 years ago for the much-reviled Batman & Robin.

Entertainment Weekly is reporting that the storyline for Whedon’s new movie will take its lead from a comic book arc started in 2011, where Barbara Gordon (daughter of Commissioner Gordon) has recovered from, but is still haunted by, a spinal injury suffered at the hands of the Joker.

Sarah Michelle Gellar as Whedon’s mould-busting creation Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Picture: Supplied

Gal Gadot as the first Wonder Woman to finally headline her own movie. Picture: Warner Bros

Though affiliated with Marvel through The Avengers, Age Of Ultron and TV series Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., Whedon is no stranger to DC — he was well down the line on a Wonder Woman script for Warner Bros back in the mid-2000s when the studio abandoned the project.

The writer-director later said each party “saw different movies” and that he didn’t think his vision then for Diana Prince would fit with the way the studio has taken the DCEU over the past few years.

While Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow has been a part of the MCU since Iron Man 2 in 2010, Marvel has yet to release a stand-alone female superhero movie. The first will be Captain Marvel (starring Brie Larson) in 2019.

Whedon directing Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow on the set of Avengers: Age of Ultron. Picture: Marvel/Disney

DC has got the jump on this front, with Wonder Woman releasing June 1 and Suicide Squad spin-off Gotham City Sirens (which is expected to team Margot Robbie’s bad girl Harley Quinn with other DC females) in development, possibly for a 2019 release.

EW is running a poll on which actor should take the role, with Holland Roden of Teen Wolf taking an early lead ahead of Hailee Steinfeld and Riverdale star Camila Mendes.

Welsh threw his hat into the casting ring, touting Jane Levy (Suburgatory, Evil Dead) to play the part.

Potential Batgirls? Fans are already picking actors for the role, including Teen Wolf star Holland Roden. Picture: Matt Winkelmeyer

Local comic book aficionado Jarrod Welsh is hoping Suburgatory actor Jane Levy gets the gig. Picture: Go!

But don’t go past Whedon plucking a completely fresh face to pull on the cowl. In 2005, talking to News Corp Australia about his then ideas for casting Wonder Woman, Whedon said:

“It’s an incredibly tough role. We’re talking about somebody who has to be beautiful in a particular way, and able to act to the nines — because I will never accept anything less — and able to do a whole lot of stunts without any elbow and knee pads.

“I personally think it’s somebody we don’t know yet, an unknown.”

Originally published as Batgirl is getting her own film with Buffy creator Joss Whedon signed on as director