Batman & Robin star Alicia Silverstone says she'd love to suit up as Batgirl once again and redo Joel Schumacher's maligned 1997 superhero film.
Speaking to Collider, Silverstone reflected on Batman & Robin's lackluster legacy and whether she'd do it again. "I like it when I get to do the fighting scenes with Uma Thurman," she said. "That’s fun. But I’d like to do it all over again as this woman! [Laughs] I think it would be much better now."
Silverstone starred alongside the likes of George Clooney, Uma Thurman and Arnold Schwarzenegger, playing a revamped version of Barbara Gordon who was renamed Barbara Wilson and depicted as the niece of Alfred. Critics and fans weren't kind to Silverstone or Batman & Robin, but that hasn't stopped her from wanting to return.
Although the film earned Silverstone a Razzie for Worst Supporting Actor, she also had the honor of winning the Kid's Choice Award for Favorite Movie Actress. It's no secret that Silverstone's portrayal of Batgirl was a divisive one, leading to the media branding her "Buttgirl" or "Fatgirl" due to a reported weight gain.
While Tim Burton has great success with the dark and brooding Batman and Batman Returns, Warner Bros. took the series in a very different direction with Schumacher's Batman Forever in 1995. Schumacher had been hired for a fifth movie, and while the ending set up the return of Batman, Robin and Silverstone's Batgirl, Batman & Robin's performance led to the studio scrapping plans for a sequel.
As it stands, there's been no movement on Warner Bros.' reported Batgirl movie. Joss Whedon was originally attached to write and direct the Barbara Gordon standalone but stepped away to be replaced by Christina Hodson. Apart from the odd headline of actors throwing their hat into the ring to play Batgirl, the studio is still said to be looking for a female director.
With an ever-changing slate of DC movies at Warner Bros., a Batman & Robin redo isn't the craziest idea out there. In the meantime, though, there's already a new Batman film on the horizon.
Directed and co-written by Matt Reeves, The Batman stars Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Andy Serkis, Colin Farrell, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Jayme Lawson and Peter Sarsgaard. The film arrives in theaters June 25, 2021.