Some three and a half years after Joss Whedon “stepped down” from the director’s chair, Warner Bros. and DC Films are pushing ahead with their plans for a Batgirl movie, with Bad Boys For Life directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah set to direct Leslie Grace (In the Heights) as Barbara Gordon for an HBO Max Original film.
Although we’re yet to get official confirmation from the studio, it’s been reported that Justice League’s J.K. Simmons is being lined up to reprise his role as Police Commissioner James Gordon, seemingly placing the film within the DC Extended Universe. However, don’t expect an appearance from the DCEU’s Batman (whether that be Ben Affleck or Michael Keaton by the time of Batgirl’s release), as Grace has let slip that the Dark Knight will be busy with “a whole bunch of stuff”.
“I was freaking out,” said Leslie when asked by Entertainment Tonight about Margot Robbie’s recent comments about teaming Harley Quinn with Batgirl. ” She’s one of the biggest, badasses in the superhero world. I haven’t had a chance to meet her, but it would be awesome if at any point Batgirl comes through and Miss Harley Quinn drops by Gotham and have some business to handle, it might be cool! ‘Miss Margot, hi. I just want to say I’m a huge fan and if you think it’s a good idea for Harley Quinn to stop by, we’re welcoming all of the help. Batman’s out — he’s doing a whole bunch of stuff — so I’m going to need some of my ladies to help me out on this next run, you know what I’m saying?'”
Grace also went on to share her thoughts on Barbara Gordon, stating that: “She’s someone who’s been underestimated by even her own dad and being the youngest kid, sometimes you’re insulated from all of the tough stuff of life and she’s so eager to prove to herself and to everybody else that there’s some things that she can handle. So, this journey is definitely going to show me a lot of that. I feel like I’m on an endless journey of proving to myself what barriers I can break, what limits I can break for myself and I’m excited to put a little bit of that eagerness and drive and, like, almost a bit of stubbornness into Barbara’s character.”
Are you looking forward to Batgirl? Does the film need an appearance from Batman, or would it detract from Barbara’s story? Let us know your thoughts on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
