Perhaps the one thing more impressive than the sheer number ofBatmanreboots in this day and age is how the majority of them seem to actually bring something new and fresh to the franchise. From Heath Ledger’s terrifyingly iconic Joker in Christopher Nolan’sThe Dark Knightto Robert Pattinson’s proof inThe Batmanthat, yes, a sparkling vampire boy can indeed fill the Caped Crusader’s boots quite nicely, it seems as though these filmmakers are making the most of their opportunities.
So it makes perfect sense that one of the newest takes on the formula appears to be aiming for a connection between the new and the beloved.Batgirl, starring Leslie Grace in the title role, will likely bring a lot of new ideas to the table. But with the inclusion of Michael Keaton as his own classic version of Batman from the Tim Burton films of the early 90s, the movie is bound to offer some real magic for audiences. In fact, that magic has already been witnessed firsthand by Grace herself whileplaying the part of Batgirl/Barbara Gordon.
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In an interview withVariety, Grace spoke about how it felt to be on set when Keaton officially made his return to the role of Bruce Wayne. Turns out,Batgirlis being made by some true blue proud geeks. “It was wild for everyone,” she reminisced. “Our directors were like two little kids. They’re legitBatmannerds openly. He’s Batman, man! I couldn’t even believe that I was sharing space with Batman. I want to say more, but I can’t. It was insane, surreal, incredible. It was the stuff of dreams really.”
TheBatmannerds Grace referred to are directing duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, who many may know for helming 2020’sBad Boys for Lifeas well as 2 episodes of the upcomingMs. Marvelseries. Looks likeMarvel and DC have been trading actorsand directors a lot lately. James Gunn is killing it withGuardians of the Galaxyon one side andThe Suicide Squad(andPeacemaker) on the other, while actors like J.K. Simmons have been toeing the line as well. Notably, while he appeared in theSpider-Manmovies (old and new) as J. Jonah Jameson, he also played Commissioner James Gordon inZack Snyder’s Justice League,a role which he’ll reprise inBatgirl.
Even thoughBatgirlstill hasn’t even been released yet, apparently some folks are already clamoring for a sequel. Interviewer Marc Malkin ended the session by asking Grace about a potential follow-up, and her answer was pretty encouraging. “We’ve already been talking about where do we take this from here because there’s so much that happens in this film,” Grace replied with a chuckle. “There are a lot of different themes in the plot that we touch on. It’s not just the action. There’s a love story. There’s this father-daughter relationship. There’s looking at the world through a lens that isn’t just black and white and seeing the color and the spectrum between things.”
So not only is aBatgirlsequel a real possibility, but it looks as though the upcoming film will be jam packed with content. Aside from Grace, Keaton, and Simmons, the film also starsBrendan Fraser as the pyromaniac villain Firefly. So there’s plenty to look forward to.
