Fan art imagines what Janelle Monáe would look like as Barbara Gordon in Warner Bros. and DC Films’ upcoming solo movie, Batgirl. Ever since Warner Bros. officially launched its DC Films universe with Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, fans have been curious and excited to see where the franchise will go, and what comic book characters will receive solo entries. Though some movies are confirmed to be on DC Films’ upcoming slate - including Aquaman, Shazam!, and Wonder Woman 2 - Warner Bros. has put a number of projects into development without release dates. One such project is the solo Batgirl movie.

Originally announced last year, Batgirl had Joss Whedon attached to write the script and direct - that is, until recently. Whedon left Batgirl, reportedly because he couldn’t nail down a good story for Barbara Gordon’s first live-action solo outing. Fans have further speculated Whedon was dropped from Batgirl due to his work on Justice League, helming the reshoots that arguably hurt the film more than helped. No matter the reasons behind Whedon’s departure from the project, Batgirl is without a writer and director - and a star, of course, as the project hadn’t moved that far forward. However, in response to one potential Batgirl writer, a fan has imagined what one star could look like as Barbara Gordon.

As Stott mentions in her post, she was inspired by author Roxane Gay’s interest in penning the Batgirl movie script. Gay voiced her interest on Twitter and an employee of Warner Bros. and DC reached out, asking the writer to email her. Gay previously co-authored Marvel Comics’ Black Panther: World of Wakanda with Yona Harvey so she has experience working with comic book characters. Of course, there’s no telling whether Gay will be hired by Warner Bros. to write Batgirl, or even if she is, whether Monáe would be cast in the lead role. That said, Monáe has proved to be an exceptional actress and would no doubt be able to deliver a compelling performance as Batgirl (if she wants the role and everything else falls into place).

As of now, the future of the Batgirl movie is in question, with Warner Bros. reportedly not in any hurry to find a replacement for Whedon. To be sure, there are a number of DC Films projects in development in addition to Batgirl and with the project now lacking both a writer and director, they may focus more on developing a film with more involved parties attached. Still, considering the popularity of Barbara Gordon - comic book writer Gail Simone also wants to write Batgirl - it’s incredibly likely Warner Bros. and DC Films will make the character’s solo movie eventually. When that will be and who will play Batgirl, though, remains to be seen.

Next: Who Should Replace Joss Whedon As Batgirl Director

Source: Rachel Stott

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