Batgirl: Leslie Grace Cast as Barbara Gordon in New Warner Bros. & DC Mid-Budget HBO Max Film

 



After an intensive week of testing and auditions this week for the new DC film Batgirl, the role of Barbara Gordon has finally been cast as In the Heights star Leslie Grace has been selected to portray the titular superhero in the new DC film which is one of a wave of mid-budget HBO Max releases to come in competition to Marvel’s Disney + programming. 

 


 

Several actresses made it to the finals this week in the rigorous auditioning process including Isabella Merced, Zoey Deutch, and Haley Lu Richardson. Richardson was the runner-up for the role of Barbara Gordon next to Leslie Grace with Grace ultimately winning out. Batgirl will be directed by Bad Boys for Life directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah with a screenplay by Bumblebee writer Christina Hodson. 

 



 

As detailed by a report from Complex last winter DC is planning on ramping up its production to release 4 major theatrical releases a year by 2022 with 2 more “riskier” projects designed specifically for HBO Max featuring properties like Batgirl, Static Shock, and Blue Beetle. This version of the character will follow the adventures of Barbara Gordon, daughter of Commissioner Gordon who in the comics typically starts out her career as the dark-clad heroine during her college career whilst working a day job as a librarian. The nature of the charismatic bookworm/ gymnast’s relationship with the Batman has always been one born of conflict with her working to prove herself a capable detective in her own right and to that end, she does as in a multitude of stories she often uses not just her sharply honed athletic skills to take on the scum in Gotham City but her intelligence and wit as well. In the 70s the character progressed into the political realm, moving to Washington D.C. to become a Congresswoman, and in later decades in the aftermath of a tragic storyline became paralyzed at the hands of the Joker resulting in her becoming the wheel-chair-bound world-class hacker Oracle. Of course, the character’s mobility eventually ends up restored in later storylines but in other iterations such as the DCAU, the continuity consisting of series such as Batman: The Animated Series, Justice League Unlimited, and Batman Beyond Barbara Gordon was never paralyzed and instead gave up the mantle of Batgirl to replace her father as Police Commissioner. 

 


 

 

I have never seen any of Leslie Grace’s work but have heard her performance in In the Heights was phenomenal so I can’t wait to see what she does with this role. I was hoping Haley Lu Richardson, star of Five Feet Apart would land the role as I found the idea of a blonde Barbara Gordon to be intriguing and in keeping with the foxy shy bookworm vibe of the character but physical appearance doesn’t really matter, and upon further reflection in addition to Leslie Grace being a well-vetted and tested capable young actress with a solid track record behind her she does resemble the character of Barbara Gordon quite a bit with her fiery-red hair and charming smile. 

 


 

 


 

It will be interesting to see how this film ties into the DCEU as it stands right now. Batgirl most likely won’t have anything to do with The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne and Jeffery Wright as Commissioner Gordon as the inclusion of Batgirl seems to suggest an older Batman but its not impossible that the origins of an early 20s aged Batgirl could coincide with the early years of Bruce Wayne’s career as the Dark Knight especially since Jeffrey Wright is 55 years old and his version of Gordon could easily have a daughter that age. It's also possible this version of Batgirl will take place on Earth-1 in the DCEU with films such as Wonder Woman, Man of Steel, and Justice League as well as the newly established Batman franchise that is supposed to run simultaneously with Matt Reeves’ movies post-Ben Affleck and Micheal Keaton’s return to the role in The Flash movie next year. In any case, I can’t wait to see Leslie Grace take on this role and the possibilities are endless for the character of Barbara Gordon with a multitude of storylines at the disposal of the writer for this project Christina Hodson who did a great job infusing heart and wit into the Bumblebee movie which is perfect for Batgirl. 

 


 

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