Drive Auteur Nicolas Winding Refn Sets Sights on Batgirl at DC Studios

Nicolas Winding Refn’s name tends to pop up whenever the film world talks about moody, stylish directors who’d probably make superhero movies look a bit weird (and let’s be honest, a lot more interesting). If you remember the whole ‘what if the director of Drive did Wonder Woman?’ chatter from a while back, well, it turns out he’s still got a thing for DC icons—but now he’s eyeing Batgirl instead.

From Wonder Woman Dreams to Batgirl Ambitions

Back in the 2010s, Refn properly fancied taking a stab at Wonder Woman. He was floating Christina Hendricks for the lead (imagine Mad Men but with Ancient Greek weapons), but we obviously know how that ended. Patty Jenkins took the job, Gal Gadot picked up the lasso, and the DCEU kept on being the DCEU.

Since then, Refn’s directed a handful of seriously distinctive films—Drive, Only God Forgives, The Neon Demon, among others—and disappeared for a bit, only to pop back up with Her Private Hell. While flogging it at Cannes, he dropped a bit of a bomb: if DC’s taking suggestions, he’d love to do Batgirl.

Why Batgirl? Here’s Refn Explaining Himself

'I would love to do Batgirl. Because Wonder Woman is done, that one I thought was super heavy.'

That’s his official line on why he’s knocked Wonder Woman on the head, if you’re wondering. But what’s pulling Refn towards Batgirl in particular? It’s not really the comic book lore. For him, it’s all about the look:

'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...'

So yes, if you imagined a Batgirl movie that’s part 1970s action flick, part fever dream, you’re probably not far off the sort of thing Refn would deliver.

You Didn’t Imagine That Batgirl Was Cancelled—It Actually Was

Of course, Batgirl’s already had a rough go at it over at Warner Bros. If you’d forgotten (or blocked it out—understandable), a whole Batgirl movie starring Leslie Grace and Brendan Fraser was shot, nearly finished, and then axed in a controversial move by Warner Bros. head David Zaslav, apparently for a tax write-off. Directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah were in charge, and their film is now gathering dust, never to see the light of day. The character also had a turn in Batman & Robin, with Alicia Silverstone donning the cape and cowl, but it's not exactly remembered as a classic.

What Does This Mean For Batgirl’s Future?

Hiring someone like Refn could, in theory, give Batgirl a well-needed shot of credibility—bit like when everyone stopped side-eyeing the new Bond once Denis Villeneuve was floated as director. Whether Refn actually gets the job is another matter, especially as DC Studios (with James Gunn and Peter Safran now in charge) are going full reboot on just about everything.

Here’s where it gets slightly more vague: Refn admits he’s not desperate to make franchise fare. In his words, ' I don’t know if I’ll make an actual IP,' but the door’s open. So, if Batgirl ever gets another go, maybe they’ll let Refn take a swing. For now, Her Private Hell is out in cinemas from 24 July, marking his first feature since The Neon Demon.

Refn’s Superhero (Almost) Journey So Far

• 2010s: Refn campaigns for Wonder Woman, considering Christina Hendricks for the job.
• 2016: Mentions an interest in Batgirl during interviews.
• 2022: Warner Bros. scraps their Batgirl film post-production, Leslie Grace/Brendan Fraser left adrift.
• 2024: Refn, promoting Her Private Hell at Cannes, says Wonder Woman is off the table for him but would 'love to do Batgirl.'

Make of all that what you will—at the very least, the idea of a Nicolas Winding Refn Batgirl is more interesting than whatever the studio’s likely to churn out next. But as ever with DC, you never really know what you’re going to get.