The DCEU‘s new Batgirl has been cast. After reports surfaced of the final candidates for the Warner Bros action movie, Leslie Grace has been selected to play Barbara Gordon.
Deadline reports that the studio was very keen on Grace after her performance in the recent musical In The Heights, in which she had one of the lead roles. Based on the Lin Manuel Miranda stage show of the same name, In The Heights was Grace’s first movie performance, before which she had a music career, and appeared in reality TV series.
Not a whole lot is known about the plans for Barbara Gordon or Batgirl right now, other than a solo thriller movie is being made for the streaming service HBO Max. Following Disney’s lead with putting Marvel Cinematic Universe projects on Disney Plus, Warner Bros is starting to expand its superhero franchising through the service. It’s believed Batgirl will be the first hero in the current DC universe to be introduced purely on HBO Max, rather than in any kind of theatrical release.
The daughter of commissioner Gordon, Barbara Gordon adopted the Batgirl mantle back in 1967, in a story by William Dozier, Julius Schwartz, Gardner Fox, and Carmine Infantino. She’s since become the character most synonymous with the alter-ego, appearing in numerous animated movies and the like.
The Batgirl movie is being directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, from a script by Christina Hodson. We don’t have a release window yet, but here’s a guide to watching the Arrowverse in order for more heroics in the meantime.