Batgirl Set Photos Finally Reveal Leslie Grace’s Batsuit and Barbara Gordon

Batgirl has just started production in the streets of Glasgow this week, finally bringing the DCEU back to Gotham City and expanding Batman’s big-screen family of characters. Set photos have already teased other characters that might appear in the movie, but this is Barbara Gordon’s movie and we finally have our first look at Leslie Grace (In the Heights) in her Batsuit.

Fans of the “Batgirl of Burnside” era will immediately recognize Grace’s suit, which she revealed on her Instagram. Like it’s been ripped right out of a panel drawn by Babs Tarr, the suit combines a modern purple-ish blue jumpsuit with gold trim and a black cowl. It’s unclear if Barbara will also rock gold Doc Martens to complete the Burnside suit…

“I use their expectations against them. That will be their weakness. Not mine. Let them all underestimate me. And when their guard is down, and their pride is rising, let me kick their butts,” read the caption under the picture, a quote from Batgirl: Year One, which tells the character’s origin story.

The “Batgirl of Burnside” storyline covered Babs’ time as a PhD student by day while operating in the Gotham neighborhood of Burnside (basically hipster Williamsburg in Brooklyn). Grace, who is 27, would definitely be the right age to play a PhD candidate who’s also a seasoned crime fighter, although this film could also cover her origin story, as the quote used by Grace suggests.

Elsewhere, eagle-eyed photographers have also snapped our first look at Grace’s transformation into Barbara Gordon, complete with the character’s signature red hair from the comics:

Other set photos have shown that the movie takes place around Christmastime, so it’s no surprise Barbara is bundled up as she walks through the streets of Gotham and into a building. She’s also carrying a book bag which could suggest that the film will cover a period in her life when she was still a student.

We do know that Barbara will face at least one, deep-cut Batman rogue in the film. Brendan Fraser, who also happens to play Cliff Steele on DC’s Doom Patrol, will bring villainous pyromaniac Firefly to life. It’s an interesting match-up made all the more interesting by the fact that Michael Keaton is also reprising his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman, likely acting as a mentor to the much younger Barbara. J.K. Simmons is also back as Commissioner James Gordon and Babs’ dad.

But if new pieces of set dressing currently adorning Glasgow are any indication, it’s possible will meet even more DCEU versions of classic Batman characters. A mural depicting Batman alongside his sidekick, Robin, have fans speculating that the Boy Wonder could finally make his return to the big screen in some form. Posters scattered around Gotham City also point to appearances from Jurnee Smollett’s Black Canary, who certainly wouldn’t look out of place next to her fellow Bird of Prey, as well as Professor Hugo Strange, the mad scientist and longtime Batman supervillain.

THR reports that Batgirl has also cast Rebecca Front (Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard), Corey Johnson (Morbius), and Ethan Kai (Killing Eve) in mystery roles.

Below, you can see another couple of photos that show Grace and Kai’s characters sharing a sweet moment on the street:

It certainly looks like Babs and Kai’s mystery man are more than just friends. Some fans are already speculating that this means that Kai is playing a grown-up Dick Grayson, who has traditionally been Barbara’s main love interest in the comics.

Kai as Nightwing? Yes? No?

Batgirl is coming to HBO Max and is directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (Bad Boys for Life) from a script by Christina Hodson. The movie is currently slated for a 2022-2023 release on the streaming service.