HBO Max’s Batgirl is proving to be an enticing prospect for fans of Gotham City. In the Heights‘ Leslie Grace will be stepping into the cape and cowl as Barbara Gordon, with Commissioner Gordon played by J.K. Simmons. This is a strong indication the movie will take place in the DCEU and have strong connections to the SnyderVerse story, with Simmons reprising his role for the first time since Justice League.
But it seems like a lot of other DC characters will be along for the ride. The streets of Gotham are full of street art and posters depicting other heroes, including Michael Keaton’s Batman, a masked version of Robin, Hugo Strange, and what may be a veiled reference to Nightwing.
The latest ones depict Jurnee Smollet’s Black Canary, last seen in 2020’s Birds of Prey. Check them out:
Right now, Batgirl casting and plot details are thin on the ground, though we know that Brendon Fraser is playing Firefly and Michael Keaton is back once again as Bruce Wayne/Batman. In addition, there’s a chance that all these graffiti and posters may simply be a set designer having a bit of fun.
I’m hoping they are pointers to more substantial links to past movies. There’s a lot going on in the DCEU Gotham, and so far we’ve merely had teases of big events that have gone down in the past (like the death of Robin). Barbara Gordon is inevitably going to be influenced by all the costumed antics in the city, not to mention the long shadow of Ben Affleck’s Batman.
Batgirl doesn’t have an official release date, though it’ll be out sometime this year. Here’s hoping we get a plot synopsis and full cast list soon so we can get properly hyped.