The Batgirl Movie Will Be 'Much Darker' Than Ms. Marvel, According To The Directors
As superhero movie franchises grow bigger and more expansive, more directors are working across multiple properties. James Gunn was among the first, helming both the "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies for Marvel and "The Suicide Squad" for DC. Now, "Bad Boys for Life" directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah will make the jump as well, taking on DC's "Batgirl" film after creating Marvel's "Ms. Marvel" on Disney+.
Kamala Khan and Barbara Gordon may both be superheroes, but that's about where the similarities stop. In an interview with /Film, the directorial duo explained their approach to such radically different material and promised that their "Batgirl" will have the darker tone expected from the detective noir-inspired "Batman" franchise.
A different kind of origin story
In previous interviews, the directors noted that Kamala's character was easy to relate to because they had shared similar experiences in their own lives. In a recent interview with /Film's Fatemeh Mirjalili, since "Batgirl" is so tonally and thematically different from something like "Ms. Marvel," El Arbi said that both the setting of the film and the age of the character would influence the tone:
"Well, the thing is that it's also an origin story, but obviously, 'Batgirl' is in Gotham City, so it's going to be much darker than 'Ms. Marvel,' and our main character is older. I mean, she's not a teenager, she already has a job. But I think that we're still going to try to have the same visual vibrancy that is our trademark, you could say, and homages to the comic book, homages also to the animated series of 'Batman' and the Tim Burton movies. So that's what we're trying to do with that, but obviously, it's going to be a bit darker than 'Ms. Marvel's world."
That makes a lot of sense, given that Kamala is pretty young, and her story is intended for wider audiences. Having a young protagonist often means making a story a bit more family-friendly, but since "Batgirl" is an adult, it's much easier to put her in a more adult world for an adult audience. The Tim Burton movies are revered for their stylish gothic imagery and the animated series is beloved in part because of its art deco and noir designs, so if those are any indicators, "Batgirl" is going to be absolutely gorgeous to look at. (And goth. So goth. Which is good, because anything related to "Batman" should be a little goth.)
"Ms. Marvel" is now streaming on Disney+. As for "Batgirl," the release date is still as mysterious as one of the Riddler's questions, so check back on /Film for all of the latest updates!