What Batgirl’s Casting Shortlist Reveals About The Movie & Character

The DCEU looks to finally be widening the Bat-family as casting is underway for Batgirl, and it reveals a bit of the film’s direction. Warner Bros. isn’t just looking in-house, but also at a range of actresses with comedic backgrounds. This is telling as future DCEU projects look to separate themselves further from the Snyderverse and tell more isolated stories like Shazam! and Birds of Prey.

Batgirl first began production under Joss Whedon when he came on to reshoot Justice League. After months of little news, Whedon left Batgirl claiming he realized he didn’t have a story. The project looked to remain on ice until Warner Bros. brought on the Bad Boys for Life directors and the writer of Bumblebee and Birds of Prey. The long-in-development movie is now expected to test a group of actresses (via Deadline) soon with Leslie Grace, Isabela Merced, and Zoey Deutch on the shortlist. Haley Lu Richardson was in talks but appears to have passed on the role. The casting so far sets Batgirl with a lighter tone as Warner Bros. is clearly looking for young, diverse actresses with comedy in their resumé.

Despite having the Bat name, Batgirl will look to differentiate itself from the Dark Knight by not taking itself too seriously. Whedon’s exit opened the door for WB to hire Christina Hodson as a screenwriter. Hodson, already familiar with the DCEU and injecting comedy into her scripts, could lead the way for a lighter tone in Batgirl. Actresses like Deutch and Richardson did their fair share of comedies making a possible perfect match for Hodson’s writing. Merced is also no stranger to action and comedy with films like Instant Family and Dora and the Lost City of Gold. Audiences can expect Batgirl to explore a different side of Gotham City, much like Birds of Prey, that gives the city a fresh of breath air from its dark and dreary atmosphere. In doing so, this can give whichever actress a clean slate and possibly a new franchise.

As one of the many upcoming DC movies in development, Warner Bros. is looking for another character franchise. Barbara Gordon is typically seen in her late teens into her twenties, and it would be a smart move to keep the actress in that age range. Grace, Richardson, and Deutch are all 26 while Merced is the youngest at 20. There’s room for sequels as a young actress means she can keep putting on the suit. This would serve in stark contrast to Ben Affleck’s Batman who is in his late 40s. A film of Barbara trying to sport the mantle of the Bat while also balancing school or friends makes for interesting character drama. Especially as teen superheroes remain some of the most popular like Invincible or Spider-Man.

As Warner Bros. leaves the Snyderverse behind, one trend Batgirl does continue is the Justice League‘s diverse cinematic superheroes. The shortlist Warner Bros. put together for the film features two actresses of color alongside two Caucasian women. With no mandate for Barbara’s look or skin color, it allows the studio to truly pick who is best for the role. This shapes up the DCEU to feel more inclusive. What it also reveals is that J.K. Simmons is not likely to return as Commissioner Gordon and would recast the role to reflect the actress. Another key sign that Warner Bros. is allowing the film and its creators to pave its own vision of Gotham and Batgirl. The team over at Warner Bros. has been quiet about story details and what other DC characters will appear. But with the cast shortlist, moviegoers can begin to get a sense of the kind of film Batgirlwill be. It won’t be long before one of these actresses becomes a member of the Bat-family.

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