Yahoo Noticias From In the Heights to Gotham City, Leslie Grace To Star in Upcoming Batgirl Movie
There is a new Batgirl in the DC Universe, Dominican-American actress Leslie Grace!
Best known for her breakout role of Nina in the movie version of In the Heights, Grace will portray Barbara Gordon and her secret superhero in HBO Max's upcoming film. Grace confirmed the news on Twitter: "I am beyond excited to embody Barbara Gordon, your #Batgirl!" she wrote. "Thank you, DC, for welcoming me to the family! I'm ready to give her all I've got."
According to Deadline, Grace was in the final group of actresses who auditioned for the role that included Isabella Merced, Zoey Deutch and Haley Lu Richardson. Grace has been garnering attention for her performance in this summer's In the Heights movie.
Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah —who previously directed Ms. Marvel and Bad Boys for Life— will helm the film, whose script was written by Birds of Prey's Christina Hodson. The film, expected to debut in 2022, will be launched as one of the first significant DC properties on HBO Max.
The movie's plot is still in development but is set to focus on the latest version of Batgirl as Barbara Gordon, daughter of police commissioner Jim Gordon. Barbara leads a double life: librarian by day and vigilante by night.
The character was introduced in 1961 and has been played by Alicia Silverstone (1997's Batman & Robin) and Yvonne Craig (Batman the Series, which ran from 1967 to 1968) in previous iterations. This is the first time an Afro-Latina will take on the role.
