Batgirl Director Adil El Arbi Teases Production with Script Cover Snap

Adil El Arbi, the co-director of the upcoming DC project Batgirl, has shared an update about the film.

Arbi, who is directing the movie with Bilall Fallah, posted a picture of the script from Christina Hodson on his Instagram story. With the script ready, production might start anytime soon.

Last month, Leslie Grace was announced to have been cast as Barbara Gordon in the Batgirl solo film. Grace was most recently seen in In the Heights.

Batgirl got a direct premiere on HBO Max and won’t be releasing in theatres. As announced recently, Warner Bros. will be producing new DC content specifically for the streaming service.

The origins of the character are attributed to1961’s Batman #139 featuring Bat-Girl as Betty Kane, but the more famous Batgirl, Barbara Gordon, the daughter of Commissioner Gordon, replaced her in 1967’s Detective Comics #359.

J.K. Simmons will take a break from “exposing” Spider-Man at the Daily Bugle and reprise his role as Commissioner Gordon from Justice League.

Hodson’s writing credits include Bumblebee, Birds of Prey, and the upcoming The Flash film, while the Bad Boys 4 Life and Ms. Marvel directing duo helmed the project earlier this year in May. According to producer Kristin Burr, with Batgirl, the DCEU wants to show the audience “a different side of Gotham.”

Christina’s script is crackling with spirit. Adil and Bilall have an excited and joyous energy which is infectious, making them the perfect filmmakers for this Batproject. And I’m just psyched I get to be part of the DC universe, which is super cool.

Kristin Burr

Batgirl does not have a release date yet. However, we will see another take on Gotham City through the vision of director Matt Reeves in The Batman. The film will see Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne in his early days as Batman. The film will also have a different version of Commissioner James Gordon, played by Jeffrey Wright.

The Batman is currently scheduled to hit theaters on March 4, 2022.

About Batgirl

Batgirl was an upcoming superhero film in the DC Extended Universe. It was supposed to have an exclusive debut on HBO Max sometime in 2022-23 and was slated to be directed by Adil Al Arbi and Bilall Fallah (previously worked on Ms Marvel) with a screenplay by Christina Hodson (screenwriter for Birds of Prey). Kristin Burr was listed as the producer. 

In July 2021, it was confirmed that Leslie Grace will be playing Batgirl/Barbara Gordon. However, due to unavoidable circumstances, Warner Bros. announced in 2022 that the upcoming film has been cancelled.