According to The Hollywood Reporter, Christina Hodson, who penned the “Transformers” spinoff “Bumblebee,” has come aboard to develop a new script featuring the iconic DC Comics heroine.
Hodson has become an in-demand talent in recent years. Three of her screenplays—”Shut In,” “Seed” and “The Eden Project”—have made the annual Black List of best unproduced scripts. Before scripting Paramount’s “Bumblebee,” Hodson was part of a writers room led by Oscar winner Akiva Goldsman tasked with developing story ideas for the “Transformers” franchise. Hodson also co-wrote the script for the 2017 thriller “Unforgettable,” starring Katherine Heigl and Rosario Dawson. In 2016, Warner Bros. hired her to write a Harley Quinn-centric “Birds of Prey” film. (The “Birds of Prey” comic series features Barbara Gordon as one of the leads.)
The announcement comes just two months after Joss Whedon left the film. The “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” creator was set to write and direct the feature before citing story issues as the reason for his exit.
“Batgirl is such an exciting project, and Warners/DC such collaborative and supportive partners, that it took me months to realize I really didn’t have a story,” Whedon said.
Batgirl has been a staple of DC Comics for more than 50 years. Barbara Gordon, the daughter of Gotham City Commissioner James Gordon, first appeared in 1967’s “The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl!” by writer Gardner Fox and artist Carmine Infantino. Yvonne Craig was the first actress to portray the character in the third season of the 1960’s live-action “Batman” television series. Alicia Silverstone also portrayed the character in Joel Schumacher’s “Batman and Robin” (1997).
No release date is set for “Batgirl.” Let’s hope that the hiring of Hodson puts the film back on track to hit theaters sooner than later.