Little is definitively known about the Batgirl film supposedly in development at Warner Bros., but given how the studio’s entire slate of DC Films is set to be affected by the chaos of the Multiverse in Andy Muschetti’s The Flash, it’s no surprise that a new rumor suggests Barbara Gordon’s solo outing could not only stand alone in its own continuity, but also (yet again) recast the role of a Commissioner Gordon
This new rumor comes from vlogger and Beyond The Trailer host Grace Randolph, who in an update to one of her previous scoops from last year, has now claimed that a recently leaked casting call indicates the planned Batgirl film will cast somebody other than former Commissioner Gordon actors J.K. Simmons (Zack Snyder’s Justice League) Jeffrey Wright (The Batman) as its version of the famed Gotham police officer.
“Today it’s being reported that Batgirl will have a different Commissioner Gordon due to the leak of the casting call – something I reported to you over a year ago. I still hear they want Keaton to show up in this,” tweeted Randolph on July 6th, quoting her “tea” from April 2020.
“Here’s some tea – for now, Warner [Bros] is still making a stand-alone DCEU Batgirl movie but… it will have a DIFFERENT Commissioner Gordon, NOT Jeffrey Wright,” she wrote at the time. “The Batman exists in a vacuum, like Joker.”
According to Cosmic Book News, the alleged casting call is reportedly looking for an actress in her 20s to play Barbara and someone in his 50s who can play the Commissioner as “a strong supporting character.”
While CBN and others predict Barbara will be raceswapped, there is no word at this time that WB intends to make such a change to Barbara’s character.
The casting call also supposedly describes the villain as a “disgruntled former firefighter in his 50s/60s,” lending credence to the possibility that Batgirl’s main antagonist will be Firefly – though it’s not clear if the call is talking about the original, Garfield Linds, or someone else.
At current, Batgirl has no release date, but the project did recently add Bad Boys For Life directors and Ms. Marvel series co-developers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah to its production team alongside Birds of Prey and Bumblebee scribe Christina Hodson, who is providing the film’s screenplay.
At the time of Arbi and Fallah’s hiring, producer Kristin Burr told The Hollywood Reporter that she was excited about all of them coming together and what they’ll bring to the project.
“With Batgirl, we hope to take the audience on a fun ride and see a different side of Gotham,” she told the entertainment trade news outlet. “Christina’s script is crackling with spirit. Adil and Bilall have an excited and jTholloyous energy, which is infectious, making them the perfect filmmakers for this [Bat project]. And I’m just psyched…to be part of the DC universe, which is super cool.”
Related: Barbara Gordon aka Batgirl Appears To Join Gotham’s Version Of Antifa
Batgirl is currently slated to debut as an HBO Max original.
What do you make of Commissioner Gordon’s potential recasting? Let us know your thoughts on social media or in the comments down below!