Batgirl has just started production in the streets of Glasgow this week, finally bringing the DCEU back to Gotham City and expanding Batman’s big-screen family of characters. Set photos have already teased other characters that might appear in the movie, but we’ve yet to see Leslie Grace (In the Heights) in her Batsuit.
Fortunately, eagle-eyed photographers have already snapped the next best thing: our first look at Grace’s transformation into Barbara Gordon, complete with the character’s signature red hair from the comics:
Other set photos have shown that the movie takes place around Christmastime, so it’s no surprise Barbara is bundled up as she walks through the streets of Gotham and into a building. She’s also carrying a book bag which could suggest that the film were cover a period in her life when she was still a student. The “Batgirl of Burnside” storyline, for example, covered Babs’ time as a PhD student by day while operating in the Gotham neighborhood of Burnside (basically hipster Williamsburg in Brooklyn). Grace, who is 27, would definitely be the right age to play a PhD candidate who’s also a seasoned crime fighter.
This is all speculation off four set photos, of course. We’ll likely have a better idea of where the story is headed once we’ve seen Grace’s suit. Will it be the more classic black and gold suit or the more hip purple jumpsuit and yellow Doc Martens that made the aforementioned Burnside era such a stylish one for the character? I’d love to see the latter personally.
We do know that Barbara will face at least one, deep-cut Batman rogue in the film. Brendan Fraser, who also happens to play Cliff Steele on DC’s Doom Patrol, will bring villainous pyromaniac Firefly to life. It’s an interesting match-up made all the more interesting by the fact that Michael Keaton is also reprising his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman, likely acting as a mentor to the much younger Barbara. J.K. Simmons is also back as Commissioner James Gordon and Babs’ dad.
But if new pieces of set dressing currently adorning Glasgow are any indication, it’s possible will meet even more DCEU versions of classic Batman characters. A mural depicting Batman alongside his sidekick, Robin, have fans speculating that the Boy Wonder could finally make his return to the big screen in some form. Posters scattered around Gotham City also point to appearances from Jurnee Smollett’s Black Canary, who certainly wouldn’t look out of place next to her fellow Bird of Prey, as well as Professor Hugo Strange, the mad scientist and longtime Batman supervillain.
THR reports that Batgirl has also cast Rebecca Front (Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard), Corey Johnson (Morbius), and Ethan Kai (Killing Eve) in mystery roles.
Batgirl is coming to HBO Max and is directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (Bad Boys for Life) from a script by Christina Hodson. The movie is currently slated for a 2022-2023 release on the streaming service.