Directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah confirmed that Batman will appear in HBO Max's upcoming Batgirl film -- but they won't say which iteration of the Dark Knight it is.
While speaking with VRTNWS, the duo was asked about Batman, to which Fallah replied (translated from Dutch), "Now you're asking too much." "I can say that it's really Batman Batman," Arbi said. "But who, we can't say," Fallah added. When asked if the actor in question was someone who'd played Batman before, such as Ben Affleck, Christian Bale or Val Kilmer, Arbi said, "I don’t think we’re allowed to go into that much detail."
These comments come just one month after Batgirl herself, Leslie Grace, seemingly cast doubt on Batman showing up in her solo film. "Batman's out -- he's doing a whole bunch of stuff -- so I'm going to need some of my ladies to help me out on this next run, you know what I'm saying?" Grace said, referencing a hypothetical appearance by Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn.
Grace was announced as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl in July. "I open it and it says, 'I'm Batgirl'… and my brain broke," she said shortly after when discussing how she found out she landed the role. "It was an incredible moment. When I say incredible, I mean the textbook definition of, I could not believe it. My brain actually broke when I got the news." She also noted that she immediately "bought every comic and just started asking so many questions" in preparation for the part.
Batgirl was announced in March 2017, at which time it was said that Joss Whedon would write, direct and produce the film. There was little movement on the project in the months that followed, but in February 2018, it was announced that Whedon had departed. Then, in May 2021, it was confirmed that Bad Boys for Life directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah would helm the project, based on a script by The Flash and Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) writer Christina Hodson.
Outside of Grace, Batgirl is expected to feature J.K. Simmons reprising his role as Commissioner James Gordon from Justice League. The movie has yet to receive a release date.
Source: VRTNWS