The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that J.K. Simmons is in negotiations to return as Commissioner James Gordon in the HBO Max feature, Batgirl. Simmons previously played the role in 2017’s Justice League, as well as this year’s Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
Warner Bros. also announced this week that In the Heights’ Leslie Grace would be playing the title role. Batgirl is being directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, both of whom recently directed Bad Boys for Life. Batgirl will be written by Christina Hodson, who has become a favorite of DC, having written Birds of Prey and the upcoming The Flash.
In addition to appearing in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Simmons has already had a packed year. The actor appeared in the Chris Pratt-led Amazon action film, The Tomorrow War, and in the Jake Johnson-starring Ride the Eagle. Simmons also has National Champions scheduled for this year, and he is reportedly reprising his role as J. Jonah Jameson in the MCU film, Spider-Man: No Way Home.
WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar has stated in the past that HBO Max will eventually be the home for new DC films focusing on lesser-known characters within the DCEU. Batgirl seems to be proof of Warner Bros.’ dedication to bringing these characters to HBO Max, and expanding the DC universe beyond theaters.
While it’s unclear who else will be appearing in the film beyond Grace’s Batgirl and possibly Simmons as Gordon, DC is certainly not slowing down with the Batman-related content. Both Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton will appear as Batman in 2022’s The Flash, while Robert Pattinson will be talking on the cowl in Matt Reeves’ The Batman.
Warner Bros. has yet to announce when we will see Batgirl, but a 2022 release date is looking like a safe bet.