Batgirl film finds its directors with team behind Bad Boys for Life

With the positive explosion of superhero films in recent years, many fans have wondered when Batgirl, the daughter of Commissioner Gordon of the Gotham City Police Department from the Batman franchise, would get her time in the spotlight. The Barbara Gordon version of Batgirl has been around since 1967, and many versions of the character have been a staple in the world of Batman for years, whether in comics, on television, or in feature films.

And now, finally, it appears as though she’ll finally get her shot as a lead on the big screen. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the long-rumored Batgirl solo film is finally in production, with a writer and director now both attached to the project.

Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah have been announced as the directing team for Batgirl. Directing since 2014, the Moroccan-born duo has directed for both film and television, having directorial credits on such projects as the FX series, Snowfall. However, the duo rose to prominence with the success of their take on the Bad Boys franchise with 2020’s Bad Boys for Life, which became the highest-grossing film of the Bad Boys franchise.

The film will be written by Christina Hodson, who is herself no stranger to DC projects having writing credits on both Birds of Prey and the upcoming The Flash feature film. She also wrote the Transformers movie, Bumblebee. Batgirl will be produced by Kristin Burr, who most recently produced the Disney live-action prequel, Cruella.

As of now, there is no news about who will take on the lead role of Barbara Gordon. Many actresses have played the role of Batgirl over the years, from Yvonne Craig in the 1967 series to Alicia Silverstone in 1997’s Batman and Robin and Rosario Dawson voicing her in The Lego Batman Movie in 2017.

With her carefree demeanor and the plethora of stories and potential issues that can arise with her being Commissioner Gordon’s daughter, there seems to be an endless supply of adventures for Batgirl within the DCEU.

“With Batgirl, we hope to take the audience on a fun ride and see a different side of Gotham,” Burr said in a statement.  “Christina’s script is crackling with spirit. Adil and Bilall have an excited and joyous energy, which is infectious, making them the perfect filmmakers for this project. And I’m just psyched I get to be part of the DC universe, which is super cool.”

The film is set to debut on HBO Max and will be Batgirl’s formal introduction into the DC Extended Universe.

In a world where more and more prominent women figure into the world of comic books beyond just Wonder Woman, it is always a plus to welcome another new yet familiar female face to the big screen film franchise. Batgirl looks to be a thrilling new addition to the comic book film world, one who will fit right in next to Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, and the ladies from the Birds of Prey film.