Batgirl: Leslie Grace shares reaction after being cast as Barbara Gordon

It was revealed earlier this summer that Leslie Grace (In The Heights) had been cast to play Barabara Gordon in Warner Bros.’ Batgirl movie, and the actress recently spoke with ET Online to share her reaction to winning the role.

“Oh, man! It was a crazy shock,” Leslie Grace told ET Online. “I mean, obviously I had been auditioning. It was a whole process, you know? But it was just, like, mind-bending. It’s still mind-bending to think about it, and we’re about to embark on this insane journey. But I found out via Zoom, because COVID world. The directors and the studio were on, and they kind of try to make it a surprise. They tried to make it like I was doing a final test, and then they sent me an email saying, ‘I’m Batgirl’ and had me read it.” Sneaky. Now that the role is hers, Grace is ready dive into Batgirl research. “I’m so excited about the character. I’m excited to nerd out with all of the comics,” Grace said. “I’ve already been doing so much research on it and I’m excited to learn how to kick some butt, too, because your girl, she’s going to have to get rough and tough to be Miss Barbara Gordon. So, I cannot wait.” Leslie Grace hasn’t seen the Batgirl costume yet, but she’s dying to try it on. She also responded to reports that J.K. Simmons is in talks to play Commissioner Gordon in the film.

Oh my gosh! What?! I am freaking out about that. I’m ready to learn a lot from J.K. Simmons. If you’re listening, huge respect and please play my dad! I hope you’re my dad.

J.K. Simmons previously played Commissioner Gordon in Justice League and Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Although Warner Bros. is clearly moving away from Snyder’s vision of the DCEU, it’s nice to now that Simmons may reprise the role for Batgirl. When asked to describe the title character, Leslie Grace said “Determined, capable and I’m going to give you a hyphenate. Or a compound word? Purpose-driven. Maybe not a compound word — I don’t know grammar — but you know what I’m saying!“

Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, the directors behind Bad Boys for Life, are set to helm Batgirl movie which has been penned by Birds of Prey screenwriter Christina Hodson and will debut on HBO Max.