Leslie Grace was set to debut as Barbara Gordon aka Batgirl in the HBO Max film Batgirl directed by the tag team directing duo of Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah and written by Christina Hodson. Despite this movie being the first time Barbara Gordon was getting her own headlining spotlight in the live-action world and the movie bringing back Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman, the film was canceled as part of Warner Bros. Discovery's new strategy for releasing content. Meaning they thought it wouldn't make them money in a theatrical release and on HBO Max just wasn't going to cut it.
The news was obviously sad for fans who were excited to see Grace and Keaton pair up. It's especially sad given how good Hodson's script was for Birds of Prey. But it also has been a rough time for the cast and creatives behind the film. Now, Babs herself, Grace has posted on Instagram, giving fans several behind-the-scenes looks from the movie.
The images include multiple looks at Grace as Barbara Gordon with her red wig on, what looks like black make-up around her eyes meaning that her Batgirl would have been another entry into my favorite aspect of Batman lore: The make-up to make the mask work. Fans also got a video of Grace singing as she's putting on the costume and seemingly having so much fun on the set of the movie.
Beyond Grace singing as she put on her costume, fans also get a front-row show to the cast singing Nelly Furtado's "Promiscuous Girl", and a whole-hearted attempt at twerking. Another video shows a focused Grace working on a shot behind the camera.
The images which were included in the post also give a better look at the hero that could have been as well as Grace resting on set, and interestingly, what appears to be a scene in the ill-fated movie.
The behind-the-scenes look was accompanied with the caption below:
"Querida familia! On the heels of the recent news about our movie “Batgirl,” I am proud of the love, hard work and intention all of our incredible cast and tireless crew put into this film over 7 months in Scotland. I feel blessed to have worked among absolute greats and forged relationships for a lifetime in the process! To every Batgirl fan - THANK YOU for the love and belief, allowing me to take on the cape and become, as Babs said best, “my own damn hero!” #Batgirl for life! 🦇"
Batgirl was going to be an exciting new adventure into the world of the DCEU; in the wake of its cancellation, many reasons have been given as to why Warner Bros Discovery shelved the movie. However, optimistic fans still hope they get to see Grace's take on the character in some way.
Check out the behind-the-scenes look below: