Here Are the Finalists to Play the Next Batgirl
Long teased but never delivered, the world is finally getting a solo Batgirl film. It is expected to premiere on HBO Max, and will be directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, who previously directed the very satisfying Bad Boys For Life. Who will be playing Batgirl, though, is still undecided.
According to Deadline, the film will feature the Barbara Gordon Batgirl, the most famous version of the character. She’s previously appeared in the 1960s Batman television series (played by Yvonne Craig), the Batman & Robin movie (where she was played by Alicia Silverstone), The LEGO Batman Movie (where she was voiced by Rosario Dawson), and countless DC cartoons. Warner Bros. and DC are in the process of testing actresses to play Barbara Gordon “starting this week.” They specifically mention four names:
Deadline does note that while they have heard Richardson’s name “she might have bowed out before the test process.” They also don’t state definitively that these are the only finalists; simply that these are the ones they’ve heard so far.
A Batgirl movie has been in development at Warner Bros. since at least 2017, when Joss Whedon was announced to write and direct the film. Around the same time that DC brought Whedon in for that project, they recruited him to finish Justice League after Zack Snyder left the film midway through production. We all know how that turned out — and maybe not too surprisingly, Whedon’s Batgirl slowly faded into oblivion after that. News of another iteration of the project began picking up steam this spring, with the announcement that Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah would direct. Now they just need a Batgirl and they’re ready to go.