A few months ago I let you all know about a new fan-made series called Batgirl Spoiled. They just released a teaser trailer and I talked with star Marisha Ray to get the inside scoop about the show and what’s next.

I like to think I keep my ear to the ground about new series that people are working and what’s happening in the world of the web. When I first saw pics from Batgirl Spoiled I admit that I was surprised. So my first question for Marisha was a simple one. Where did the show come from.

It all started when Marisha met up with her soon-to-be co-creator Sax Carr at a party at San Diego Comic Con. They met up again in LA and talked about possible projects over some tasty Thai food (unfortunately not shwarma). Marisha brought up the idea of doing a short film focused on the Gotham City Sirens: Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn. Sounds great, right?

Sax came back with an even better idea. Concerned about giving 3 leads equal screen time and treatment, he suggested focusing on the third Batgirl, Stephanie Brown, and focus on her in a series.

Sold!

It didn’t take long for people to hear about what they had in mind and jump on board. One of the great people who they’ve brought in to the show is Paradox Pollack. Paradox worked stunts on movies like Thor and Star Trek.

I’m really excited about Paradox being a part of the show because he signed on just so he could play around with formats. Working with big budget features comes with a lot of restrictions. Paradox plans on experimenting with different styles, angles, and frame rates which should give the show a really unique look.

Another reason to be excited about Paradox is because he insists that the actors do their own stunts. Well, unless they’re jumping off buildings or something. But absent breaking a bone or damaging a vital organ, the actors are training for all their own stunts and fights.

Marisha has been practicing since November, learning martial arts and Stephanie’s weapon of choice, the bo staff. Early on she was practicing twice a week for 6 to 8 hours per practice. When they’re shooting, that moved up to 4 to 6 times a week, for 6 to 8 hours. I don’t know about you, but that sounds like killer crime-fighting shape to me. I can only assume she’s not actually hopping around the rooftops of LA fighting crime at this point. But I can’t prove she’s not. So run with it.

Of course she’s not the only one. The other actors are training, too. And there are some great actors involved that you may be familiar with. Tara Strand (Harley Quinn), Meghan Ashley (Poison Ivy), Tara Platt (The Question), Sage Howard (Batwoman), and Chris Smith (Commissioner Gordon) are all on board. You may notice one thing about the cast. There are a lot of women. That’s by design.

When Marisha and Sax developed the story behind Batgirl Spoiled, they decided they wanted to feature the women of Gotham. If you look at all of the content that’s been made in the DC Universe, there’s never been a production that really showcased of the women. (I do NOT count Halle Berry.) Batgirl Spoiled means to correct that little oversight.

Of course while we’re talking about the women of Gotham, we have to ask the question a lot of people may be wondering. Why did they choose Stephanie Brown and not Barbara Gordon. Barbara’s much more well-known and has a longer history. Why not the 1st Batgirl?

Marisha’s answer to that is one I just love and to me really emphasizes how much this production really is for the fans of Batgirl. To Marisha and the rest of the team, Barbara Gordon had her day. We know her story. With the New 52 reboot that DC Comics recently launched, Stephanie’s story was cut short. [big_quote]“Stephanie is an unsung hero. She hasn’t had her time yet.”
-Marisha Ray[/big_quote] The important word in that quote is “yet.”

Focusing on Stephanie Brown as Batgirl gives them a freedom to tell a great story and also gives them the chance to follow Stephanie Brown’s voice. If you’re expecting Batgirl Spoiled to be Christopher Nolan-ized, you’ll be disappointed. They’re staying close to the sarcastic and quirky humor that Stephanie Brown is known for. Taking a cue from The Avengers, there will be a light touch, but this is definitely a PG-13 adventure. Leave the kiddies at home because things will get intense.

The next step for the team behind Batgirl Spoiled is to start up a Kickstarter so they can make all of their episodes. Since this is a totally fan-made project by people who love the material, no one is getting paid to work on it. But because of their high-production quality and intense action scenes, they do need money for wire-rigging, meals, locations, permits, etc. Oh…and costumes.

Let’s just stop and talk about costumes for a minute. I’m really impressed with the quality of the costumes in the teaser and that’s just going to get better. The only costume made specifically for the teaser was Batgirl’s. The rest came from Gotham Public Works, which is amazing in quality, but not original to the production. So as part of the fundraising, Sharon McGunigle from the LA Opera will improve all of the costumes to make them as good as her work on her first version of Batgirl. They may even make some improvements on the original costume. We’ll see.

The series is planned for 12 episodes with each episode clocking in at about 10 minutes each. They’ll also release shorter “bonus-odes” to round out the experience. While their main website isn’t up yet, you can follow them on…

• Facebook
• Twitter
• and their main website

I don’t know about you but I can’t wait to see what they have in store for their Kickstarter and what kind of incentives they have planned. I may end up sponsoring another show.

What about you? What do you think of the look of the teaser and their choice to go with Stephanie Brown? Let us know in the comments and look for Batgirl roaming around San Diego Comic Con.