Given his deep entrenchment within Marvel's crop of writer/directors, it was a little surprising when Joss Whedon announced late last month that he'd be writing and directing a Batgirl film for Warner Bros. and DC. Though given how much pain he went through making Avengers: Age Of Ultron, maybe not too surprising. Talking at the premiere of Guardians Of the Galaxy Vol. 2, he outlined why he felt like he could tackle the character.
"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?" he told The Hollywood Reporter. "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?" he adds. "How intense and driven that person is... I just couldn't stop thinking about it."
As for what version of the character he might use for the movie, that he says he hasn't decided yet. And he doesn't yet know who will be bringing her to life, but he knows he doesn't really want a big name star. “I doubt it’ll be a name, I think this is somewhere where you go and find Batgirl and then you cast her," he tells Variety. "I mean, I’m not against movie stars, they’re great, but you need somebody who is just right. And a situation with this, the name carries a lot of weight so it’s not as critical. Definitely Vin Diesel." Well, it's an option...