While the upcoming Birds of Prey film may be shrouded in mystery for the most part, a few interesting details have come to light in recent memory. Perhaps the most important of those is that Harley Quinn and Batgirl are supposedly the central characters in the female-driven team-up picture.
And according to the latest information that’s been presented, the above may prove to be a half-truth. But before this Bat-scholar breaks it down, let’s examine the latest exhibit, shall we?
As you may have heard, Birds of Prey is expected to be tagged with an R-rating, which prompted Batman-News to say to its Twitter followers, “Batgirl has the potential to inspire young girls just like Wonder Woman. Why put her in a R-rated movie?”
Chiming in was The Wrap’s Umberto Gonzalez, who said Batgirl is not in Birds of Prey. Right now, we imagine you may be a bit confused, but he fortunately elaborated on his alleged inside knowledge:
“They [Variety] didn’t say that [Batgirl is in the movie] on the record, rather Justin tweeted. Profound difference. Was decided recently no Batgirl. Attention to detail, I didn’t say Barbara Gordon, I said Batgirl.”
Being intimately familiar with the source material, I imagine that Gonzalez is hinting that he heard Babs will, in fact, be Oracle in this instance. If so, that’d make some sense, as Oracle is more often the codename she’s adopted that’s synonymous with her Birds of Prey affiliation, with Batgirl being a part of the group largely a Rebirth concept.
But if director Cathy Yan chooses to go this route, she’d have to establish backstory saying that Barbara had already been Batgirl, and that she’d been paralyzed by the Joker, thus confining her to a wheelchair. Any potential Batgirl solo outing could afford her the spinal implant that allows her to walk again, but it may be easier for the average moviegoer to see her in cape and cowl, for not many people outside of comic book lovers can tell you who Oracle is.
Either way, Jane Levy would still be a prime candidate for the role, an idea she makes sure none of us forget. And considering that she looks like Barbara Gordon incarnate, Birds of Prey‘s casting department should absolutely take her seriously.
