We’ve known about Joss Whedon‘s upcoming “Batgirl” movie for just about three weeks now, and shockingly, no additional details about the film have come to light. “It is a little early to tease anything besides the existence of it,” Whedon recently told Entertainment Weekly, suggesting that his few years away from the superhero game have made him a little rusty. Since when do you need to have actual news — you know, casting announcements, plot synopses, test footage — to tease a superhero movie? Honestly, Joss, it’s like you learned absolutely nothing from your days at Marvel.
Of course, early or not, Whedon does have some thoughts on how he’d like the project to come together. While on the red carpet for last night’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” premiere, Whedon spoke with Variety about the casting process and whether he thinks “Batgirl” will go with an established star over an unknown talent. Here’s the full video of Whedon’s comments with the transcript provided below:
Who should play #Batgirl in Joss Whedon’s upcoming movie? We asked @Joss Whedon #GotGVol2Premiere pic.twitter.com/rmznGQeMSj
— Variety (@Variety) April 20, 2017
I don’t have my eye on anyone. I’m creating this character, I’m in a dialogue with her, and then we’ll see who joins that later on. I doubt it’ll be a name. I think this is somewhere where you go and find Batgirl and then you cast her. 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 carries a lot of weight, so it’s not as critical. [pause] Definitely Vin Diesel.
While the idea of an unknown actress probably won’t sit well with Warner Bros. — their “Justice League” cast may not exactly be household names, but each of them have proven themselves in television shows or summer movies — you have to figure that Whedon will have a lot of freedom in how he chooses to write, cast, and direct “Batgirl.” Whedon’s made no secret of his difficult creative battles with executives at Marvel, so it seems unlikely that he would sign on for another superhero movie with the same pitfalls. If Whedon wants an unknown actress, expect an unknown actress. Or, you know. Definitely Vin Diesel. [ComicBookMovie]