History has been made in the DC Extended Universe following the news that Ivory Aquino will play a major role in upcoming action film Batgirl, according to Deadline. Aquino, who is also a transgender woman, has starred in several TV series in the past including Netflix show When They See Us and ABC’s docu-drama When We Rise. She has also appeared in drama movie Lingua Franca, which was directed, written and produced by Isabel Sandoval.
Aquino’s involvement with Batgirl, which is being distributed by streaming service HBO Max, was first hinted at earlier in January when Leslie Grace, who is playing Batgirl, appeared to post a picture of herself and Aquino on the set of the thriller to her Instagram story. The image included the caption, ‘Barbara and Alysia.’
While the plot of the upcoming adventure movie is being kept under wraps, it has been confirmed that Grace will be playing Barbara Gordon, the daughter of Gotham’s police commissioner. Her on-screen father will be long-time Spider-Man movie actor JK Simmons, as he switches it up from the Marvel Cinematic Universe to the DCEU. Meanwhile, Aquino will be playing Alysia Yeoh, a bartender and Grace’s best friend. Yeoh first appeared in the Batgirl comics in 2011.
The film is being directed by Bilall Fallah and Adil El Arbi, the latter of which has previously directed comedy movie Bad Boys for Life. Other cast members confirmed to appear in the upcoming flick include Brendan Fraser as classic villain Firefly, while Michael Keaton is said to be returning as Batman now that Ben Affleck has turned his back on the role for good.
As well as being set to appear in 2022’s The Flash, Keaton previously appeared as Batman in the 1989 movie of the same name as well as the 1992 sequel Batman Returns. Tim Burton, an established horror movie savant, directed both films. While the character Scipio is also set to appear in Batgirl, no further information about casting has been announced.
While Batgirl’s precise release date is yet to be revealed, it is set to be in 2022. Meanwhile, DC fans can look forward to a range of theatrical releases coming up including The Batman, Aquaman 2 and The Flash.