Joss Whedon Was Reportedly Looking to Adapt "The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl!"
Yesterday we were hit with the news that Joss Whedon was no longer directing Batgirl for DC Entertainment. The reason behind him dropping out was because he couldn't crack a story for Batgirl. Well, it sounds like Joss Whedon actually did have a story that he wanted to tell.
According to Variety, Joss Whedon was looking to give us the original Batgirl origin story. He was going to adapt "The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl!" That was the title of the story of the 1967 issue of Detective Comics Vol. 1 #359.
This is the first DC Comic that Barbara Gordon appeared in. If you aren't familiar with the story, here's a breakdown from ComicVine:
Barbara Gordon was a brainy librarian with a brown belt in judo. She was nothing like her teenage predecessor, Betty Kane, who relished being a hero; in fact, the daughter of Police Commissioner Gordon only donned a Batgirl costume for a policeman's masquerade ball.
However, when she stumbled upon an attempt on the life of millionaire Bruce Wayne by Killer Moth, Barbara sprang into action, fending off the attackers and feeling a crime-fighting spirit awaken within her. The spirit awakened again following what appeared to be Wayne's murder at the hands of the Killer Moth. Unfortunately, Batgirl soon discovered that "Wayne" was a dummy set up by Batman and Robin to draw out Killer Moth, and her arrival had interfered with the operation.
Though dejected, Batgirl quickly made amends for her rookie mistakes, tracking Killer Moth to his hideout and rescuing the Dynamic Duo from a gravity free chamber that made them helpless targets. She had been wearing perfume during their previous tussle and some had rubbed off on Killer Moth. She was even able to scent down the criminal mastermind when he attempted to evade capture.
The Caped Crusader told the impressive Batgirl that he would welcome her help whenever the need arose, though she wasn't the type to wait for an invitation. Furthermore she was intent on refuting the perception of the "weaker sex" and refused to take a back seat to anyone.
A lot of fans thought that Whedon's film would focus on an older Barbara Gordon after she recovered from being shot by The Joker. It makes sense, though, that Whedon would want to set the story around a younger version of the character.
I think "The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl!" would have been a fine story to tell. Personally, I think there's more to Whedon stepping down as the director than what we are being told.
We have no idea where the project will go from here, but there are rumors that Warner Bros. is now looking for a female director to take on the project.