Batgirl is finally moving forward as a new report claims Warner Bros. is preparing to test a group of actors for the lead role of Barbara Gordon.
According to Deadline, the search has begun for the new live-action Batgirl. Warner Bros. and DC Films are reportedly screen-testing a large number of actors, with Isabella Merced, Zoey Deutch, Leslie Grace and Haley Lu Richardson all on the list of potential stars. The site did claim, however, that Richardson, best known for Unpregnant, may have already passed.
Of the remaining big names, each has been on the rise in recent years. Grace, a musician, just wrapped In the Heights for Warner Bros., marking her film debut. Merced is also a musician, albeit with more film experience. She previously appeared in Transformers: The Last Knight and played the lead in Dora and the Lost City of Gold. Deutch, meanwhile, has gained acclaim for the indie film Buffaloed and Netflix series The Politician.
Batgirl was originally announced in 2017 with Joss Whedon planning to write, direct, and produce the film. By February of the next year, however, Whedon had left the film. In April 2018, Bumblebee writer Christina Hodson was hired to pen the script. The production then went quiet until May of this year, when Bad Boys for Life directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah were tapped to direct.
Originally intended to be a theatrical release, Batgirl will now be the first DC film to premiere exclusively on HBO Max. Warner Bros. and DC Films tried the hybrid release model with last year's Wonder Woman 1984 and will attempt it again with next month's The Suicide Squad. But Batgirl will be the first attempt at creating a smaller budget superhero film for the streaming service.
Since Hodson joined the film in 2018, she's had success with Birds of Prey, which could share DNA with Batgirl. She also wrote The Flash, which is currently in production, so clearly, Warner Bros. is thrilled with her work.
Bat-Girl debuted in 1961's Batman #139 as Betty Kane, but the more well-known Batgirl, aka Barbara Gordon, replaced her in 1967's Detective Comics #359. Alicia Silverstone played Batgirl in 1997's Batman & Robin, and Barbara Gordon will next appear on HBO Max's Titans for its third season, albeit as the commissioner of GCPD rather than in her superhero persona.
Source: Deadline