Meet the new Batgirl! Leslie Grace lands the coveted role
By Erin Lynch
It’s official! At almost lightning speed after learning that Warner Brothers was testing actresses for the role of Batgirl, they’ve chosen Leslie Grace to don the cowl. Everyone! We have Batgirl! Rejoice!
According to Deadline, the In the Heights actress has been quickly cast as Barbara Gordon. While the studio made no comment on the hiring, we’re so excited to see her. The actress also hasn’t released a statement but we’re looking forward to hearing about her reaction to the news.
First of all, a woman of color as Batgirl? Yes, please. Representation is forever welcome in the Bat family. The Afro-Latina will be playing Batgirl, meanwhile, Batwoman is Javicia Leslie over on The CW. What a time to be alive. Truly this is a moment we should all be celebrating.
Leslie Grace has won the role of Batgirl
Details on the film are incredibly slim at the moment. We have no plot information nor do we have any other casting news. It’s also unclear whether or not her story will be tied to that of the DCEU (with Harley Quinn and Wonder Woman) or if she’ll be joining the newer squad with Robert Pattinson as Batman. Heck, she could even be in her own corner of the franchise universe but I’d rather see her interact with other women of DC, wouldn’t you?
The character of Batgirl was introduced in the comics in Batman #139 in 1961. She was initially introduced as a love interest for Robin after the comics publisher tried to prove that Batman and Robin were not having a love affair. Since her introduction, she has evolved into a fierce character in her own right.
Barbara Gordon is the most well known Batgirl, the daughter of Gotham City Police Commissioner and Batman ally, Jim Gordon. Things drastically changed for the character in 1988 with the one-shot by Alan Moore, The Killing Joke. There she was shot in the abdomen and paralyzed by The Joker in order to drive her father to the point of insanity. While the character had already been “retired” at that point, some writers were so upset at her treatment that they brought her back.
Kim Yale and John Ostrander brought Barbara back with her disability as an information broker under the alias Oracle. Since then, the Batwoman moniker has been given to other women of the DC Universe and even Barbara herself donned the cowl a few more times. Though it is currently unclear whether or not they will be shifting Barbara into the Oracle role in the future – we’re looking forward to seeing her swing across the Gotham skyline.
Next. WB asked for this character to be included in The Suicide Squad. dark
What do you think of the casting? Are you as excited as we are? What storyline would you like to see the film tackle? Let us know in the comments below!
The untitled Batgirl film will be directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah with a script by Christina Hodson (Birds of Prey, Bumblebee). Kristin Burr is producing and Leslie Grace will be starring as the titular character.