Leslie Grace has been cast as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl for the new HBO Max feature film. Earlier this week, it was reported that Leslie Grace, along with Isabella Merced, Zoey Deutch, and Hayley Lu Richardson were being tested for the lead role in Batgirl. The testing process did not last long, as only a couple of days later Leslie Grace was cast in the titular role.
Batgirl debuted in the Batman mythos 50 years ago as Barbara Gordon, the daughter of Gotham City Police Commissioner Jim Gordon. Since then, she has become one of the most popular superheroines in the DC universe. When Barbara Gordon was paralyzed by a gunshot from the Joker in the famous graphic novel “The Killing Joke,” other vigilantes, like The Huntress and Orphan, took up the Batgirl name while Barbara became Oracle, a tech-savvy aide to Batman. Barbara later returned to the Batgirl role, while her assault in “The Killing Joke” was retconned.
Leslie Grace is The New Face of Batgirl
Leslie Grace is a breakout star, she recently starred in the hit musical, In The Heights as Nina Rosario. She is Dominican-American and the first Latina to play Batgirl. She is also the third Latina to be cast in a DC feature, following Sasha Calle’s Supergirl in The Flash and Rachel Zegler’s undisclosed role in Shazam: Fury of the Gods.
Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, best known for directing Bad Boys For Life will serve as the directors for Batgirl which is set to debut on HBO Max exclusively. The script will be written by Christina Hodson who also wrote Birds of Prey.
Born to Dominican parents in the Bronx, Leslie Grace broke out as Nina Rosario in Jon M. Chu’s film adaptation of In the Heights, based on Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award-winning musical. Grace is also a singer who has recorded songs including “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow,” “Be My Baby” and “Day 1.” She has received three Latin Grammy Award nominations.
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Source: The Wrap
