Batgirl fans received some welcomed news regarding the DC hero's upcoming HBO Max film. Production on the Batgirl movie has officially started, and the directors shared a behind-the-scenes photo that provides some clues on the story.
The titular hero of Batgirl will be played Leslie Grace, who recently starred in the musical film In the Heights. In the comics, Batgirl is also the daughter of Gotham City's Commissioner James Gordon (played by J.K. Simmons), who at this point in the storyline is on great terms with Batman.
Recently, Batgirl co-director Adil El Arbi shared a set photo on Instagram to announce the start of production. The official set photo reveals the official Batgirl logo, but it also provides a clue on how the film will depict Barbara Gordon. A plaque on the desk featured in the image reads "Officer Barbara Gordon," indicating that Grace's version of the character will be an officer of the Gotham City Police Department. This means that Grace's Batgirl is much older than the teenage crime fighter that many are used to seeing in past comics, films, and shows.
The second thing to note is that the set photo also features a book on coding that's sitting on the desk titled Code Book. Diehard fans will likely see this as a nod the Barbara Gordon's Oracle identity. In the comics, after being confined to a wheelchair by the Joker, Barbara Gordon becomes a computer hacking assistant to Batman and Robin, working from the Batcave by being the eyes and ears for the dynamic duo. It seems the filmmakers are at least setting up the possibility for Grace's Batgirl to play a similar role or at least share the hacking skills of her comic book counterpart.
With J.K. Simmons' return, fans can assume that this version of Batgirl takes place in the same universe as the one established by Zack Snyder for his movies (Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Justice League). Nothing is official until the project is released, but this is definitely a good sign for fans who were hoping to see more of the dark world that was created by the famous director. The directors have even hinted at some version of Batman appearing in Batgirl.
Keep in mind none of this is confirmed until the project releases, but for many, it's just fun to speculate. The talent attached to Batgirl is something noteworthy and the project is in great hands. Directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, Batgirl also stars Brendan Fraser as DC villain Firefly. With Loki composer Natalie Holt doing the movie's musical score and Christina Hodson (Bumblebee, Birds of Prey, and The Flash) having penned the script for Batgirl, fans can expect something with really good quality to drop later next year.
Batgirl has just begun production.
Source: Adil El Arbi/Instagram