Batgirl director has Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah both responded to the idea of Batman showing up in the upcoming Batgirl film that will stream on HBO Max. Batgirl will be played by Leslie Grace of In the Heights fame.
Batgirl will follow the titular heroine, one of Batman's most prominent superhero partners, in a different side of Gotham City. Batgirl was in development for a good amount of time and is still in pre-production, so plot details are scarce as of now.
During an interview with radio station VRTNWS, directors Arbi and Fallah were both asked "which Batman" would show up in the Batgirl film. The question in itself is a tricky one to answer, as it doesn't ask "if Batman" will show up, it just assumes he does, which is a method interviewers often use to trick talent into accidentally spoiling the film. The directors didn't name any actors or any Batman in particular. All the directors said in response to the question was, "the real one," and laughed.
However, Grace herself previously said this film will mainly focus on Batgirl without allowing the caped crusader to steal the spotlight. J.K. Simmons, however, will reportedly be returning as Commissioner Gordon in the upcoming HBO Max project, so if there's any weight to this report, then that may point to Ben Affleck returning. Simmons previously portrayed Gordon in Zack Snyder's Justice League, although it remains to be seen whether or not Batgirl will be connected to that film.
Fans should take all of this with a grain of salt, as Batman may very well appear without actually having any dialogue or showing his face. If his shadow appeared or Batgirl referenced him, then that can also count as an 'appearance' to some fans. So right now fans should just expect this to be a Batgirl project first and foremost, while everything that comes afterward is just the cherry on top.
Similar to the upcoming Black Canary project, the DC films and show that focus on the lesser-known characters shouldn't rely on the bigger heroes in order to sell a successful story. This is DC's time to focus so they can bring a bigger fan base to the smaller heroes. Superman and Batman are generally at the center of every DC ensemble film while everyone else usually takes the backseat. If DC has any hope to compete with Marvel, they need to make their other heroes have a bigger draw.
Batgirl is expected to be released in 2022.
Source: VRTNWS