Leslie Grace cast as Barbara Gordon for HBO Max’s ‘Batgirl’ project

Earlier this week, it was being reported that Warner Bros had begun testing for the lead role of Barbara Gordon in the HBO Max “Batgirl” movie. However late this afternoon the trades are reporting that Leslie Grace (“In The Heights”) has officially landed the iconic role. 

Grace is best known for her breakout role as Nina in the recent musical turned theatrical film “In The Heights,” which debuted on HBO Max June 10, 2021. She has also made waves in the world of music, receiving three Latin Grammy Award nominations. The DC Universe has officially cast three Latina actresses in key film roles this year, with Grace, who is Dominican American, joining Sasha Calle (Supergirl in “The Flash”) and Rachel Zegler, who was cast as a mystery role in “Shazam! Fury of the Gods.” 

WarnerMedia has not commented on the official casting. As of now, no plot details have been revealed about the film. 

“She’s been through so many iterations,” Christina Hodson previously told Variety about Barbara Gordon, who has made live-action appearances in the ’60s Batman series (Yvonne Craig), The WB series “Birds of Prey” (2002-2003) (Dina Meyer), the 1997 film “Batman & Robin” (Alicia Silverstone), and the HBO Max series “Titans.” Savannah Welch will make her premiere in season 3 on the streaming platform on Aug. 12 2021 as the Oracle variation of the character. This will be the first solo appearance for the character on the theatrical screen. 

“There’s certain characteristics of hers that are always there that I’m excited to develop further,” Hodson said. “Whenever I’m writing a character who’s based on someone who’s existed in a previous form, whether it’s comics or a movie or anything, I always hope to bring something new to them and bring them to life in their own way, even if they are fairly iconic like Harley Quinn or Batgirl. I think fans want the original, to be honest, but they also want to see something they haven’t seen before.”

The film will debut on HBO Max, marking one of the first major DC properties to premiere exclusively on the streamer. Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (“Ms. Marvel” Disney+ series) will direct from a script by Christina Hodson (“Bumblebee”, “Birds of Prey”, “The Flash”) who wrote the most recent script. Kristin Burr is producing.

No official release date has been confirmed by Warner Media for “Batgirl” on HBO Max. THR reported it’s possible the Batgirl film will arrive in 2023 on the streaming platform.