Just the other day, a report came out that a group of actresses were testing for the titular role in WB’s upcoming DC film, Batgirl. Among them was Leslie Grace, who recently starred in the film In The Heights. Sources from Deadline say this rising Afro-Latina star nailed her audition and sealed the deal.
Grace will be playing the Barbara Gordon version of Batgirl, which raises questions as to where this film fits into the overall DC universe. Is it part of the DCEU, meaning her father would be played by JK Simmons? Is it part of the Matt Reeves Batman universe, where her father would be played by Jeffrey Wright? Or would it go a completely solo route, similar to Joker?
With her being Afro-Latina, the initial thought would be that she’ll be the daughter of Jeffrey Wright’s Commissioner Gordon, placing her in the same world as Robert Pattinson’s Batman.
But then some have brought up the fact that this film will be exclusive to HBO Max, and by doing that it could alienate some of the audience from experiencing the completeness of this universe. However, those people seem to forget that they have already announced a Gotham City Police show for HBO Max, set in that very universe. So, I think this is the perfect way to go.
Awhile back, WB announced that they wanted to have both theatrical and HBO Max exclusive content for their DC line, and I think making the Pattinson universe on HBO Max could really boost the service in a great way. The first film has a lot of buzz already, and, if it has a successful theatrical run, could really entice people to join HBO Max to see what comes next.
So that’s where I’m putting my money. Either way, I’ll still be watching this film when if comes out, and I am excited to see the future of DC films as a whole.
Batgirl will be directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (Bad Boys for Life) from a script by Christina Hodson (Birds of Prey, The Flash). The film doesn’t currently have a release date, but we here at DC Comics News will keep you up to date as soon as that is announced.
