While many people have held the Batgirl mantle in the comments, there is one girl that almost all fans know: Barbara Gordon. She is the daughter of police commissioner Jim Gordon and has even had a few live-action appearances throughout the years. In Adam West’s Batman series, she was portrayed by Yvonne Craig. Then, in the 1997 film, Batman and Robin, Alicia Silverstone took the title for the movie.
After that, though, the Batman films seemed to turn their attention to Catwoman instead in The Dark Knight series as well as the upcoming Robert Pattinson-led movie. But now, finally, Batgirl is getting the respect she deserves with her own solo movie by Bad Boys For Life directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Hudson, brought in along with screenwriter Christina Hudson to combine on the project
After news broke about Leslie Grace being cast in Warner Bros. Pictures’ Batman, set to debut via HBO Max in 2022, the media went crazy. Since then, the In The Heights actress has been sprinkling clues and hints to the fans about what the role will entail. In an interview with Elle Magazine, she discussed how this may take a darker and more serious look at Gordon’s backstory.
A lot of the DCEU’s heroes have started with a dark backstory, so it’s not surprising that Batgirl will follow suit. According to Grace, Barbara Gordon “becomes Batgirl because she wants to make a difference in the world. She feels like people underestimate her as Barbara Gordon.”
Grace also claims she can relate to that as the youngest sibling in her family.
Based on the interviews with Grace, it seems like she’s pushing the narrative to “be your own hero.”
“When I really want to do something, and people underestimate me, I’m like, ‘Okay, I’m just going to do it and not say anything about it.’ It’s that energy of being self-determined. You can’t be afraid to be your own hero, and I think girls need to see that. We all need to see characters that are willing to be autonomous.”
Grace’s sentiment is not only empowering for the women who are surely excited about another female-led superhero film, but also for anyone else who may be struggling right now.
Grace expressed her excitement about her role throughout the interview, noting, “I can’t believe Batgirl and I are in the same sentence, I’m so grateful to everyone that has placed faith in my potential. I’m working very hard and studying very hard to not let anybody down.”
She and the rest of the cast and crew have been very quiet regarding the rest of the movie, but now that we know it’ll be a dark story, it leaves us more excited than before!
Are you excited for Batgirl to finally get her own movie? What do you think about a dark take on Barbara Gordon? As always, let us know in the comments!