Actor Leslie Grace’s first look in costume for the upcoming DC movie Batgirl has been revealed. The picture was shared by the actor on her social media accounts. The costume is not perfect and seamless, and is kind of creased and wrinkled, indicating that this is a rookie superhero. “I use their expectations against them. That will be their weakness. Not mine. Let them all underestimate me. And when their guard is down, and their pride is rising, let me kick their butts,” Leslie captioned the photo.
The costume itself is identical to the one featured in the 2014 comic series run on the character from the New 52 DC Comics reboot, from the sleek cowl to the majestic yellow cape. It’s a design used in her early days as a crime fighter, an attribute the film will be picking up from it seems. The overall design appears to be inspired by the comic storyline Batgirl of Burnside, in which the superhero moved to the Burnside, a more modern neighbourhood in Gotham City.
Though little has been announced about Batgirl‘s plot, Brendan Fraser (Doom Patrol) is reportedly playing the villainous Firefly, while J.K. Simmons is said to be reprising his Justice League role as Barbara’s father, Commissioner Gordon. And as reported last month, Michael Keaton, who famously played Bruce Wayne aka Batman on the big screen in 1989’s Batman and 1992’s Batman Returns, will once again slip on the Dark Knight’s cowl for Batgirl. It will be fun to watch Grace star as the fan-favourite Batgirl alongside a recognizable face. That said, this is Barbara’s time to shine, and it is exciting to see the film will start from the beginning with the beloved character.
Batgirl is written by Christina Hodson (Birds of Prey) and directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (Bad Boys for Life). Of course, Batgirl is just one of several DC Comics projects currently in the pipeline at HBO Max. The upcoming Robert Pattinson-led The Batman movie is getting two spinoff series on the streamer; the first is a Year One prequel about how Gotham City became so dangerous, while a second series will “delve into The Penguin’s rise to power in the Gotham criminal underworld.” Colin Farrell, who plays The Penguin in The Batman, will also play him on the small screen.
Batgirl is set to be released on HBO Max sometime in late 2022.