It looks like it’s all stations go this week as Warner Bros. have apparently set a line-up of ladies to step into the cape of Barbara Gordon in the HBO Max original movie,Batgirl. While all DC fan’s eyes have recently been on filming ofThe Flash, the start of shooting onAquaman 2and the imminent arrival of James Gunn’sThe Suicide Squadand news of itsPeacemakerspin-off series, it looks likeBatgirlhas been quietly prepping for the casting of its lead role.
The new movie comes with some heavyweights in the comic book movie stakes behind the scenes, withMs Marveldirectors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah helming the movie, while writing duties fall to Christina Hodson, who also pennedHarley Quinn: Birds of PreyandThe Flash.Batgirlis just one of a slew ofHBO Maxoriginals as Warner Bros. look to emulate Marvel’s success and expand their DCEU with the use of HBO Max to deliver the output in the way Marvel have harnessed Disney+. The latest announcements by WB have suggested that two new DC films will be released per year on the platform, which includes live actionBlue BeetleandStatic Shockmovies, butBatgirlis the first of these movies, which is why casting is now a priority to get just the right person for the part.
Among those being tested for the dual role ofBarbara Gordonand her crime fighting alter-ego of Batgirl areZombieland: Double Tap’s Zoey Deutch,Dora and the Lost City of Gold’s Isabela Merced, Leslie Grace, who has been seen recently inIn The Heights, and Haley Lu Richardson ofFive Feet Apart. Whether all of these make it to the final test is unclear in the reports, but these are the main names that have been linked to the trail to find the studio’s latest iteration of Batgirl.
The stand-aloneBatgirlmovie was not the original plan for the character’s introduction to the DCEU, as the daughter ofJim Gordonwas supposed to make her appearance in the Batman movie that-never-was which would have seen Ben Affleck’s caped crusader taking on Deathstroke, as played by Joe Manganiello in Justice League. In the climax of the movie, Batman would have been aided by the new Batgirl to take down the villain. However that was never to be and like many other possible projects with a link to Zack Snyder’sJustice Leaguehas gone by the wayside.
Talking about the project in prior interview withVariety, writer Hodson said, “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 likeHarley Quinnor Batgirl. I think fans want the original, to be honest, but they also want to see something they haven’t seen before.”
This will be the latest in a line of Batgirls of the past, from Yvonne Craig in the 60s TV series, 1997’sBatman & Robin’s take with Alicia Silverstone being one of the only good things about the movie, and then the most recent portrayal by Dina Meyer inBirds of Prey. How this new version will stack up against her predecessors is yet to be seen, but there is currently no release date for the movie and with casting only in the early stages it’s likely to be 2023 before we see Batgirl hit the screens again. This story is fromComicBook.com
