Screenwriter Christina Hodson has quickly made a name for herself in Hollywood. Following two low-key suspense thrillers– ‘Shut In’, starring Naomi Watts, which just came out in 2016, and ‘Unforgettable’ with Rosario Dawson and Katherine Heigl– she has now stormed the realm of big budget tentpoles. Her script for ‘Bumblebee’ has helped propel this Transformers installment to $157 million and the best reviews of the entire franchise. In a shift from the norm, ‘Bumblebee’ is anchored by a human female, Charlie, portrayed by Hailee Steinfeld. (You may have noticed that her first two pictures also featured female leads.)
Next up, Hodson is diving deep into the DC Universe. ‘Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)’ is set to begin filming in January, with Cathy Yan directing, and Ella Jay Basco, Rosie Perez, Margot Robbie, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead starring. That film is set to be released in early 2020, while Hodson is currently working on the script to ‘Batgirl’.
As Hodson said to Variety, “I think there are so many great actresses out there looking for these strong, meaty roles. Particularly in this moment, in our climate right now, we need women like that to look to, to inspire us to push and do bold things.”
On writing Batgirl, as opposed to her other female protagonists like Charlie and Harley Quinn, Hodson said:
“I’m in the middle of falling in love with her. I always feel differently at the beginning, middle, and end. Charlie feels like an old friend now, because that was a while ago and because she is so personally inspired. Harley just feels like my crazy alter ego. When I’m feeling nuts, that’s what Harley is. And Batgirl…honestly it’s funny, there’s a little piece of me in every character I write. They start with me, and then they take on a life of their own. She’s been through so many iterations. There’s certain characteristics of hers that are always there that I’m excited to develop further. Whenever I’m writing a character who’s based on someone who’s existed in a previous form, whether it’s comics or a movie or anything, I always hope to bring something new to them and bring them to life in their own way, even if they fairly iconic like Harley Quinn or Batgirl. I think fans want the original, to be honest, but they also want to see something they haven’t seen before.”
‘Aquaman’ has struck a major blow for Warner Brothers’ DC Comics movies, which have struggled to compete with the more established Marvel Cinematic Universe. And the success of WB’s ‘Wonder Woman’ proved that fans will embrace female-led comic book movies. Hopefully, ‘Birds of Prey’ and ‘Batgirl’ will continue the winning streak.
‘Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)’ is scheduled for release on February 7, 2020. ‘Batgirl’ is in pre-production, and no release date has been announced.
