Joss Whedon gives an update on his Batgirl movie

Joss Whedon will be making the jump from Marvel and DC with Batgirl, but as the filmmaker explained to EW, the title wasn't initially on Warner Bros.' ambitious superhero movie slate.

"It is a little early to tease anything besides the existence of it," Whedon said at the premiere of Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2. "We weren't even talking about Batgirl – it came up as part of another conversation and then we all got so excited that the movie suddenly appeared. So that's a really good sign to me. It wasn't a slot they were trying to fill. We all just started talking about her and then I couldn't stop. So, that's a good feeling."

Whedon, who rose to prominence in the 1990s with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, will both write and direct Batgirl, said to be based on the "New 52" incarnation of Barbara Gordon. In that arc, the Gotham vigilante is back in action after the physical and emotional injuries inflicted on her by the Joker in The Killing Joke.

It's unclear how far back discussions began for this DC movie, but Whedon teased in mid-2016 that he was working on "a story about a girl who goes through some unbelievable s—." As someone who already helmed The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron, he said it's "different from everything I've done… except for that it's exactly the same."

Details, including a release date on Batgirl, are scarce. But there's a trove of superhero fair to keep fans preoccupied, including Wonder Woman, Justice League, Aquaman, The Batman, and The Gotham City Sirens.

—Reporting by Maureen Lenker