While Joss Whedon is no doubt busy guiding Justice League to the finish line, the nerd icon is also busy tracking down the actress who will be his lead in the upcoming Batgirl. No names have risen as the frontrunner in any serious capacity, while reports claim that Whedon is looking for "someone new" to bring Barbara Gordon to the big screen. Well, new rumors are pointing to a list of actresses who are up for the part with a few of them listed as frontrunners, with names that include Elle Fanning, Jane Levy, and Naomi Scott.
I hope no one is on a low sodium diet, because you are going to want to take a few grains of salt with this one. A list of actresses who are under consideration to play the lead in Batgirl was posted to the Reddit sub-group DCEU Leaks. The leaker claims to be friends with the artist who was contracted to create concept art of the actresses as Batgirl, and then shared them with the leaker. The leak also claims that Warner Bros. wants to reveal the actress in a surprise announcement at San Diego Comic-Con next month, which makes sense but who knows? Apparently, these four actresses are the frontrunners for Batgirl.
Katherine Langford
According to the leak, Katherine Langford is the leading choice for Barbara Gordon. Langford recently made waves for the Netflix drama, 13 Reasons Why, where she played the lead role and whose suicide the show revolved around. Langford fits the relative unknown they are looking for, and would make an interesting choice for Batgirl. Following behind Langford are these three actresses:
Elle Fanning
She might not be the first name to pop up on some fans lists, but there's no question that Elle Fanning has built quite the resume for herself over the years. She's appeared in critical hits such as The Neon Demon, 20th Century Women, and the recent film festival favorite, The Beguiled. She also has the benefit of having worked with Ben Affleck AKA Batman in Live by Night.
Jane Levy
Jane Levy is a bit of a no-brainer for Batgirl and has been a top pick on a number of Batgirl wishlists. A living charm factory, Levy can handle Whedon humor thanks to her Suburgatory days, and she's proven her dramatic chops in horror movies like Evil Dead. She proved last summer that she can lead a smash hit too, after starring in the horror flick Don't Breathe.
Margaret Qualley
Finally, Margaret Qualley rounds out the list of frontrunners. Qualley is perhaps best known for her role as Jill Garvey on the amazing The Leftovers, so she can definitely handle the dramatic portions of Barbara Gordon's story. She can also be seen in The Nice Guys, Netflix's upcoming anime adaptation Death Note, and a bonkers Spike Lee directed commercial for KENZO World. She's also trained as a classical ballet dancer, so she's got the athleticism required down pat.
While these four actresses are listed as the top contenders, the leak does include a few other names that are up for the lead. The list includes Olivia Cooke (Bates Motel), Bella Throne (Shake It Up!), Emma Roberts (Scream Queens), Haley Lu Richardson (Split, Edge Of Seventeen), and Naomi Scott (Power Rangers). An interesting list of names, to say the least. It's got a few dark horses to be sure, but some -- like Naomi Scott for example -- make a lot of sense. None of these actresses are confirmed to be in running but we'll just have to wait and see what goes down.
The search for Batgirl will have plenty more updates, so keep checking in with CinemaBlend and we'll keep you updated with new information as soon as it becomes available. In the meantime, let us know in the comments what you think of this list and who's your favorite to play Batgirl.
