[Tom4784]

The visionary behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe – aka Avengers director Joss Whedon – is now on the verge of jumping sides to DC Entertainment to make a badass female-centric superhero movie.

Two years after he walked away from Marvel because of the unrest over Avengers: Age of Ultron, Whedon is in talks with DC Entertainment to give Batgirl her first-ever live action solo movie (via Variety).

Whedon will write, direct and produce the Batman spinoff for Warner Bros if a deal is ultimately reached by both sides.

A Batgirl movie is a natural fit for Whedon, who has made a career of creating TV shows, comics and movies based around feminist heroes. Just this week, he's been celebrating the 20th anniversary of his groundbreaking cult classic Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Back in October, the filmmaker even name-checked one iconic DC Comics character when discussing franchises that would be enticing enough to lure him back to big budget blockbusters.

"It's a fun thing to do, to put yourself in the service of something if you think you can add an interpretation," he told Complex. "It's no different than any other storytelling.

"There are some times when you get micro-managed to death but with Marvel, they let me make two movies that were very much mine. So do I want to make a James Bond movie? Yeah. Anne Hathaway does Catwoman again? Sure, I'm in."

Catwoman is otherwise occupied at the moment, as she'll being teaming up with Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy in a female-led Suicide Squad spinoff based on the comic Gotham City Sirens. No casting beyond Robbie has been announced yet for that film.

This Batgirl movie will be the third female-driven solo movie from DC Entertainment thus far, following both Wonder Woman and the previously-mentioned Gotham City Sirens.

In this department, DC is the forerunner in the superhero genre since Captain Marvel and Ant-Man and the Wasp are still only in the development phase for Marvel Studios, even after nearly a decade of blockbuster hits.

The most well-known iteration of Batgirl – the heroic alter ego of Gotham City Police commissioner Jim Gordon's niece (or daughter, depending on the story) Barbara Gordon – has been a mainstay of DC Comics for the past 50 years.

Batgirl was originally brought to life by Yvonne Craig in the classic Batman '66 TV series, and later by Alicia Silverstone in the 1998 movie Batman & Robin. The less said about the Alicia Silverstone version the better...

Her most recent big screen iteration was in animated form in this year's smash hit Lego Batman Movie, in which she was voiced by Daredevil and Luke Cage actress Rosario Dawson.

There were fan theories that Hunger Games star Jena Malone played Barbara Gordon in deleted scenes from last year's DC Extended Universe movie Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, although they were ultimately proven wrong. In actually, Gordon only had a cameo as ballistics expert Jenet Klyburn.

No release date for the Batgirl solo movie has yet been announced.

Living for the prospect of this tbh.

[UserSince2005]

Is Joss a he or a she. because he/she has strange choices of projects if its a he.

[Toy Soldier]

Hmmm Whedon's real strength lies in an ensemble cast though. I'd be interested, but slightly worried, about what he would do with a solo superhero movie.

[Tom4784]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

Hmmm Whedon's real strength lies in an ensemble cast though. I'd be interested, but slightly worried, about what he would do with a solo superhero movie.

That might not be an issue since they could also introduce the Birds of Prey in the film too and, given that a Nightwing film is being developed as well, I imagine there will be some crossovers happening.

[Toy Soldier]

Originally Posted by Dezzy

That might not be an issue since they could also introduce the Birds of Prey in the film too and, given that a Nightwing film is being developed as well, I imagine there will be some crossovers happening.

So it's not even REAL Robin that The Joker has killed? Just crappy Jason Todd? Why would Batfleck even be bothered, there's only one real Robin...

[Tom4784]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

So it's not even REAL Robin that The Joker has killed? Just crappy Jason Todd? Why would Batfleck even be bothered, there's only one real Robin...

Not this shade towards Damien Wayne and Tim Drake