With production for Batgirl, the HBO Max original film set in the so-called DC Extended Universe, officially wrapping this week, co-directors Adil El Arbi and Billal Fallah are celebrating with a behind-the-scenes selfie with star Leslie Grace.
“BATGIRL !!! It was such a great experience and we are thankful to the amazing crew and cast for making this movie next level !!! STAY TUNED Y’ALL !!! #alhamdulillah,” Arbi wrote on a post to his Instagram.
The film, whose production and actors had routinely been spotted by fans and onlookers in Glasgow, Scotland, not only stars Grace as the titular Barbara Gordon / Batgirl, but also features J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon, Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne / Batman, and Brendan Fraser as Garfield Lynns / Firefly.
We love and respect Ben Affleck’s turn as an older, grizzled Batman from Zack Snyder’s Justice League, and we will miss him now that he will no longer be part of the DC universe. But we must say, Keaton filling in the role in the DCEU as the war-weathered hero in his graying years is an excellent choice, considering the actor helped popularize superhero movies in general with 1989’s Batman.
Grace’s memorable role as Nina Rosario in last year’s movie adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical In the Heights makes us excited for her debut to the DCEU as well.
And Simmons returning as his Justice League character, Babs’ father Jim, is also a welcome reprisal, even if Jeffrey Wright’s turn as the character was commendable in its own right in The Batman.
Batgirl is expected to come out on HBO Max later this year, with no exact date set as of press time. We’ll let you know if the movie follows suit with other DC films, such as The Flash, and gets pushed back into next year just as soon as the information becomes available.