2022 is a big year for both HBO Max and the DC Extended Universe (DCEU)! Hot off the heels of James Gunn's universally acclaimed The Suicide Squad spinoff series Peacemaker, this exciting multimedia shared universe will see the release of Batgirl, the first feature film in the franchise that will only be available to stream on WarnerMedia's premier streaming service.
Written by Christina Hodson (Birds of Prey) and directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (Bad Boys for Life), this movie marks Warner Bros and DC Films' first attempt to bring Barbara Gordon to the DCEU, despite the fact that the next solo Batman film is confirmed to take place in its own shared universe and that Ben Affleck has no interest in reprising the role after The Flash, which is also set to release later this year.
This guide seeks to answer all the questions you may have about Batgirl including when it will be released, who's in the cast, and which other DC characters you can expect to see in the film.
When Will Batgirl Be Released?
The exact date for Batgirl is yet to be revealed, but we do know that the film will premiere on HBO Max sometime in 2022. While some Batgirl fans may be disappointed to hear that their favorite comic book character won't be adapted for the big screen, this release plan may also come as a relief to casual moviegoers who are still skeptical about going to a movie theater in the midst of a global pandemic.
Is There a Batgirl Trailer?
We're still in the early days of filming on Batgirl, so there isn't a trailer for the movie yet. However, keep an eye on this space because we will be updating it with the latest teasers and trailers, as and when they are released.
Who is in the Batgirl Cast?
Some of these casting announcements are more recent than others, so this may not be the full cast. In any case, the lead cast so far includes Leslie Grace (In The Heights), Brendan Fraser (The Mummy), J.K. Simmons (Whiplash), Ivory Aquino (When We Rise), and Michael Keaton (Batman Returns).
Jacob Scipio (Bad Boys for Life), Corey Johnson (Captain Phillips), Rebecca Front (Transformers: The Last Knight), and Ethan Kai (Killing Eve) will also appear in undisclosed roles, with Kai's reportedly being the most significant of the four.
Who Are the Confirmed Characters in Batgirl?
Batgirl will feature all-new additions to the DCEU, including the titular protagonist herself, as well as the return of some familiar faces. While more characters could be confirmed to appear in the film leading up to its release, here are brief summaries for all the Batgirl characters who are confirmed at the moment:
Leslie Grace will play Barbara Gordon / Batgirl, beating out the likes of Haley Lu Richardson (Split), Zoey Deutch (The Politician), and Isabela Merced (Dora and the Lost City of Gold). For those who don't know, Barbara is the daughter of Gotham City Police Department (GCPD) commissioner Jim Gordon and dresses up as a female version of Batman to fight crime and protect the people of Gotham. Although Barbara isn't the first DC Comics character to take on the Batgirl mantle, she is certainly the most popular among comic book fans.
Brendan Fraser, who currently voices the character of Robotman on the completely unrelated DC series Doom Patrol, will play the classic Batman villain Firefly in Batgirl. In the post-Crisis DC comics, Garfield Lynns was a pyrotechnics specialist in Hollywood whose dangerous obsession with starting fires led to him becoming the sadistic arsonist known as Firefly.
Michael Keaton will reprise the role of Bruce Wayne / Batman from both 1989's Batman and 1992's Batman Returns. The actor is already putting the cape and cowl back on for The Flash so if that film is setting up Keaton to replace Affleck as the DCEU's one and only Batman, then Batgirl could see his Bruce Wayne become a mentor to Barbara Gordon, similar to how he mentors Terry McGinnis in the DC Animated Universe.
Ivory Aquino will play Alysia Yeoh, who first appeared in Gail Simone and Ardian Syaf's Batgirl comics from 2011. In that series, Yeoh is a transgender woman who eventually becomes best friends with Barbara Gordon, making her the first major transgender character in mainstream comic book history and thus the first transgender character in a live-action DC film.
J.K. Simmons will reprise his role as Commissioner Jim Gordon from both versions of Justice League (the 2017 theatrical cut and the 2021 Snyder Cut). Just like in other mediums, Gordon is the head of police in Gotham City as well as the father of Barbara and close ally of Batman. Here's what Simmons had to say about once again returning to the DCEU:
“I was completely flabbergasted that they came back to me recently and wanted me to be Commissioner Gordon again, and have it be a more significant role...and I’m looking forward to it. I think I’m actually going to get on the horn with [star Leslie Grace] and the directors in the next couple days and do a little preliminary rehearsals...They start very soon, and then I jump onboard sometime in January over in Glasgow, which is a wonderful place to be shooting it because it’s, y’know, Gothic. I’m excited to be the once and future Jim Gordon.”
When Did Batgirl Begin Filming?
Principal photography for Batgirl began in Glasgow on November 30, 2021, under the working title Cherry Hill.
Two months into filming, Grace shared the first official image of herself in costume on Instagram. Although it retains the same purple and yellow color scheme that has become associated with Batgirl over the years, many comic fans have pointed out that this look shares a striking similarity to Batgirl's New 52 costume from 2014. In that comic run, Barbara moves to the hip Gotham borough of Burnside in an effort to reinvent herself. However, Grace revealed shortly after she was cast that she's not even sure which comic story this new film is based on:
“That was my first question—what do I read? I’m like, ‘Send me everything I need to learn.’ I just bought every comic and just starting asking so many questions.”
Many unofficial photos and videos from the set of Batgirl have since made their way onto social media. One such video shows Barbara, in classic Batman fashion, dangling a no-name criminal from a window in order to interrogate him.
What Is Batgirl About?
While we don't know much about the plot of Batgirl at this time, producer Kristen Burr teased that the film would explore a less dreary and more colorful side of Gotham that we haven't seen much of in the films as of late:
"With Batgirl, we hope to take the audience on a fun ride and see a different side of Gotham. Christina’s script is crackling with spirit. Adil and Bilall have an excited and joyous energy which is infectious, making them the perfect filmmakers for this Batproject. And I’m just psyched I get to be part of the DC universe, which is super cool."