The identity of Joss Whedon‘s Batgirl is a mystery — even to Whedon himself. The Avengers filmmaker, 52, who has been tapped to write and direct the upcoming Batgirl movie for DC, mulled the idea of casting for the film in a recent chat with Variety, saying he doesn’t have anyone specific in mind for the leading role.
“I don’t have my eye on anybody,” he told Variety at the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 premiere in L.A. Wednesday, April 19. “I feel like I’m creating this character, I’m in a dialogue with her, and then we’ll see who joins that later on.”
Previous Batgirls have included Yvonne Craig, who played the part in the third season of the 1960s TV series Batman, and Alicia Silverstone, who took on the role for 1997’s Batman & Robin. Whedon suggested to Variety, though, that the next Batgirl might be someone less high-profile.
![Yvonne Craig Batgirl](/https/www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/yvonne-craig-6d380807-3bb6-46ce-8d65-7ccaa7fb22ba.jpg?w=1000&quality=70&strip=all)
“I doubt it’ll be a name. I think this is somewhere where you go and find Batgirl, and then you cast her,” he said. “I’m not against movie stars, they’re great. But you need somebody who’s going to be just right. And in a situation like this, the name [Batgirl] carries a lot of weight, so it’s not as critical.”
For now, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer mastermind is focused on the character, not the actress who will play her. “I started getting obsessed with how a young woman could get hard-core enough to need to put on the cowl,” he told The Hollywood Reporter‘s Heat Vision at the Guardians premiere. “Like, what’s her damage?”
Who should play #Batgirl in Joss Whedon’s upcoming movie? We asked @Joss Whedon #GotGVol2Premiere pic.twitter.com/rmznGQeMSj
— Variety (@Variety) April 20, 2017
He continued: “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? How intense and driven that person is … I just couldn’t stop thinking about it.”