Once a Joss Whedon joint that would hit the big screen, Warner Bros. has made some changes to their upcoming Batgirl movie. Bad Boys for Life duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah were brought in to direct a script by Birds of Prey‘s Christina Hodson. And oh yeah, the mid-sized film will debut on HBO Max, not on the big screen. The next thing is lining up someone to suit up in the starring role.
According to Deadline, a number of actresses have already been tested to star in Batgirl. In the running are Isabela Merced, Zoey Deutch, and Leslie Grace, while Haley Lu Richardson may have already been ruled out. Damn, the Columbus star would’ve been fantastic. However, these other options are excellent, too.
Merced has been rising up the ranks quickly, ever since her role in Transformers: The Last Knight. She recently starred in the live-action Dora and the Lost City of Gold, as well as Sicario: Day of the Soldado. Deutch is a personal favorite, but also a big fan-favorite for films Everybody Wants Some!!, Zombieland: Double Tap, and Vampire Academy. She’s also the daughter of Howard the Duck and Back to the Future actress Lea Thompson. Grace recently won hearts for In the Heights and is a Grammy-winning singer.
There’s still a lot we don’t know about this Batgirl movie. Does it exist within the larger DCEU along with Aquaman, The Flash, Wonder Woman, etc.? Or is it set in the same offshoot universe as The Batman where Jeffrey Wright plays her father Jim Gordon? Perhaps it’s neither, and exists on its own?
