James Gunn and Peter Safran haven’t announced - or so much as hinted - at any plans for Batgirl in their current iteration of the DC Universe, but one filmmaker hopes they are willing to take a big risk. Nicolas Winding Refn, known for Drive with Ryan Gosling and Neon Demon with Elle Fanning, expressed interest in applying his strikingly colorful style to The Dark Damsel.
When asked on the red carpet of Cannes Film Festival, where his latest movie (Her Private Hell) was showing out of competition, Refn replied he “would love to do Batgirl,” if given the chance. He also indicated his fascination with the property leans more into what he could do with it stylistically, given his oeuvre and appeal, rather than a deep-seated love for the character, lore, or comics.
Refn added that “Wonder Woman is done, that one I thought was super heavy,” alluding to the DCEU version played by Gal Gadot and directed by Patty Jenkins. He probably has the 2017 film in mind as well as Diana Prince’s supporting roles in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and the two cuts of Justice League. While it’s likely he saw Wonder Woman 1984, Refn might not hold the sequel in high regard since the heaviness of the heroine’s life and romance with Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) were watered down by a tone that was campier and more comedic than its predecessor.
The entire look, feel, and palette of DC cinema changed drastically with the exit of Zack Snyder into something brighter and sillier – outside things like The Batman and HBO Max’s Titans where the depressed darkness, urban blight, and unhallowed brooding of Gotham have a home. Even after the completion of Snyder’s cut of Justice League, every successive regime and creative vision (from Walter Hamada and Dwayne Johnson to Gunn and Safran) went in the opposite direction to a large degree.
Taking into account Refn’s most recent films such as Neon Demon and Only God Forgives, he may take Batgirl farther than Matt Reeves has the Caped Crusader or Gunn has Peacemaker. The only release on DC’s slate that comes close to Refn’s aesthetic is arguably Clayface, which is out in October and had everyone talking and gasping after the trailer dropped recently.
Batgirl almost made it to the small screen in a solo adventure spinning off from Andy Muschietti’s The Flash (which was set to star Leslie Grace as the titular hero alongside Michael Keaton reprising his role as Batman), but Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav pulled the plug before it was ever released to collect a tax writeoff. Refn indicated he was either unaware or unmoved by this fact when he clarified the “costumes” and “aesthetics” of comic-book culture are what appeal to him, visually speaking.
“I loved the objectification of objects, and superheroes and comic-books and that whole sub-culture. It’s where I come from. I collect Japanese toys [and] play with Legos,” he confessed. Be that as it is, Refn doesn’t hold out much hope for an opportunity with DC Studios, adding, “I don’t know if I’ll make an actual IP.”
It’s not really where he thrives, though that isn't stopping him from breathing life into the long-dormant Maniac Cop slasher franchise.
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