Ms. Marvel Directors Reveal Kevin Feige's Response When They Signed on for Batgirl Movie
Ms. Marvel debuted last week on Disney+ with the six-episode series bringing Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani) into the Marvel Cinematic Universe and at the helm of that first episode was the directing team of Bilall Fallah and Adil El Arbi. The pair are also directing another superhero debut, taking on HBO Max's Batgirl starring Leslie Grace and according to the filmmakers, they got nothing but support from Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige.
"We wrote [Marvel Studios] and email that said we were going to do Batgirl, and then Kevin Feige, Victoria [Alonso] and Lou [D'Esposito] all said, 'Congratulations!' They were super happy for us," Fallah told The Hollywood Reporter. "People say there's a rivalry, but it's totally not like that. They make each other stronger, and we felt the vibe between DC and Marvel."
"They're big fans of each other," El Arbi added. "Kevin was constantly asking questions, 'How's it going? What's going to happen?' He was a real fanboy, so that was pretty dope."
While there are obviously differences between Ms. Marvel and Batgirl, there are similarities as well, particularly in that both stories are origin stories, something that the pair recently spoke with Variety about.
"For both, it's an origin story," Fallah said. "They have to grow and find a way to be who they have to become — a superhero. On the other hand, it's totally different. Ms. Marvel is so teenager, super colorful and young, and then you have Batgirl in Gotham City with Batman, which is darker. Their journeys are similar in that they have to learn to become a superhero and take responsibility and grow."
Batgirl will follow the journey of Barbara Gordon, a young woman who becomes Gotham's newest protector. The film will be written by Christina Hodson, whose work includes Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) and the upcoming The Flash movie. The film is expected to see JK Simmons reprising his role as Commissioner James Gordon, Michael Keaton reprising his role as Bruce Wayne / Batman, Ivory Aquino as Alysia Yeoh, and Jacob Scipio, Rebecca Front, Corey Johnson, and Ethan Kai cast in currently-unknown roles.
New episodes of Ms. Marvel debut on Disney+ on Wednesdays. Batgirl is currently poised to debut on HBO Max at a later date.