'Drive' Director Nicolas Winding Refn Wants to Direct 'Batgirl' Movie for DC Studios
In the 2010s, Nicolas Winding Refn had campaigned to direct a Wonder Woman movie, with the acclaimed director considering Mad Men star Christina Hendricks for the lead role. Ultimately, Patty Jenkins would direct Wonder Woman, starring Gal Gadot as part of the DCEU. The filmmaker behind Drive, Only God Forgives, and The Neon Demon is once again throwing his name into the mix to direct another DC superhero movie, but has set his sights on a different figure. Promoting his newest movie, Her Private Hell, at the Cannes Film Festival, Refn mentioned he would like to do Batgirl. The filmmaker revealed to Deadline, "I would love to do Batgirl. Because Wonder Woman is done, that one I thought was super heavy." This isn't the first time the director has expressed interest in directing Batgirl, as he previously referenced the character in 2016. Refn elaborated on what draws him to Batgirl, saying:
"The costumes, I love the aesthetics. A lot of Her Private Hell is my obsession with dolls, objects and how to move people around in space and time. I loved the objectification of objects, and superheroes and comic books and that whole subculture. It’s where I come from. I collect Japanese toys, I play with LEGOs..."
Warner Bros.
It is notable that Refn is ruling himself out for Wonder Woman, as DC Studios is opting to reboot the character. Refn likely does not have interest in putting another spin on Wonder Woman, and would rather tackle a new superhero. However, Batgirl technically has both the unreleased film and was played by Alicia Silverstone in Batman & Robin. Refn still wanting to do Batgirl is interesting, given that Warner Bros. infamously filmed and later scrapped a nearly completed movie centered on the character. Batgirl starred Leslie Grace and Brendan Fraser, and was directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. Batgirl was canceled by Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav as part of a tax write-off in a controversial move. This decision has led many to wonder if James Gunn has any plans for Batgirl in the DCU anytime soon.
Hiring an acclaimed filmmaker like Refn might shift the negative narrative around any Batgirl news, much like Denis Villeneuve being hired to direct a new James Bond, which seemed to ease many people's concerns about Amazon MGM having full control of the franchise. Refn's filmography also includes the acclaimed Pusher trilogy, the Tom Hardy-led Bronson, and Valhalla Rising. Her Private Hell, which opens in theaters on July 24, marks Refn's first feature film since 2016's Neon Demon. Even though the director admits, "I don’t know if I’ll make an actual IP," maybe one day he could join the DCU.
