Batgirl (film)

Batgirl
General Information
Directed by	Adil El Arbi and Bilal Fallah
Written by	Christina Hodson
Music by	Natalie Holt
DP	John Mathieson
Previous Film	The Flash

Batgirl is a superhero film based on the character of the same name. Set in Walter Hamada's reformed WB Earth Two universe, it is intended as a sequel to the original alternate ending of The Flash where Michael Keaton is revealed to have replaced Ben Affleck on all shared universe films going forward.

Written by Christina Hodson, the story focuses on Barbara Gordon's origin and take influence from various comics, including Batgirl: Year One and the Batgirl of Burnside era. Despite being in the midst of post-production and set to premiere on HBO Max (now called simply Max by Discovery), the film was shelved in August 2022 in favor of James Gunn's reboot The Brave and the Bold.

Cast

• Leslie Grace as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl
• Brendan Fraser as Ted Carson/Firefly
• Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman
• J.K. Simmons as Commissioner James Gordon
• Jacob Scipio as Anthony Bressi
• Ivory Aquino as Alysia Yeoh
• Rebecca Front
• Cory Johnson
• Ethan Kai

Killer Moth was set to appear, with Jules Wallace performing stunts for the character.

Production

Development

Batgirl was original planned to be a film set in the continuity set up by Zack Snyder. Joss Whedon was set to write and direct the picture. However, Whedon left the project in early 2017, claiming that he "didn't have a story". The character was going to debut in Ben Affleck's The Batman, setting up her solo movie. The Flash screenwriter Christina Hodson was chosen to replace Whedon, the first draft was completed long before Birds of Prey entered production.

On June 22, 2020, THR journalist Borys Kit pointed out in a followup tweet that Michael Keaton could appear as a mentor to Batgirl, as part of his new multi-picture deal.

In May 19, 2021, it was reported that the project was being revived for HBO Max. Directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah had also signed on to direct. Kristen Burr had also signed on to produce the film.

On July 6, 2021, it was reported that casting was underway for Batgirl and her father, Commissioner Gordon. Reports also indicated that they were also searching for “a disgruntled former firefighter” who would serve as a villain, which sources have speculated to be Firefly. In July 19, 2021, it was reported that Isabela Merced, Zoey Deutch and Leslie Grace were being tested. Some claimed Haley Lu Richardson had passed the tests and was being considered. On July 21, 2021, it was confirmed that Leslie Grace had been cast as Batgirl.

On July 29, 2021, The Hollywood Reporter reported that J.K. Simmons was in talks to reprise his role as James Gordon, and that the film was being planned to release in 2022. On October 18, 2021, Deadline reported that Jacob Scipio had joined the cast in an undisclosed role. On October 25, 2021, Deadline reported that the film had added Brendan Fraser to the cast to portray Firefly.

On December 22, 2021, a press release from Warner Bros. revealed that Michael Keaton would be joining the film, presumably reprising his role as Batman.

Filming

On November 30, 2021, Bilall Fallah posted an image of the clapboard, indicating filming had begun.

On January 14, 2021, Grace shared the first official photograph of her in the Batgirl costume via Twitter.

Cancellation

On August 2, 2022, the major trades reported that Batgirl, along with a number of other DC projects, had been shelved by WB Disovery, despite the film being in late post-production. Various reporters claimed the decision was taken due to the film going over budget due to COVID measures and not wanting to burden taxes.