Leslie Grace’s cancelled Batgirl movie is going to remain one of DC Films’ greatest mysteries. The project was well on its way into post-production when the studio pulled its plug, leaving a gaping hole in the place where Barbara Gordon’s first live-action feature film was supposed to land. Even by the standards of the less-than-stable DC Films label, this was a shock. And while we might never get the chance to see the final film (even though secret screenings reportedly were held in the wake of the cancellation, so cast and crew could see what might have been), updates and reveals regarding the production likely will continue to dribble out… like these photos that were shared of Grace in her final Batgirl suit. And damn, does it look amazing.
Leslie Grace started her 2023 with a look back on her 2022, and the video montage posted to her IG reel included several awesome looks at the Batgirl movie that will never be. We don’t know what phase of the movie would have featured Grace in this costume, but it looks awfully close to what the final version of her Batgirl suit should look like. Could this have been the suit she ended up with by the end of the film?
As the IG reel continued, and mixed in with candid photos of the life Leslie Grace lived both on and off of the Batgirl set, we got this photo of the actress with what appears to be the villain Firefly, played by The Whale actor Brendan Fraser. He’s currently in the awards conversation in the Best Actor category, and the continuation of the Bren-naissance would have continued in Batgirl. Just add it to the growing list of things we wanted to see in Batgirl, but won’t get the chance to.
We don’t want to assume that every film photo included in the reel is from Batgirl, though Leslie Grace did appear to group them in some form of chronological order, and this fight scene was part of a handful of Batgirl images.
And finally, it only seemed appropriate to feature Leslie Grace in her full Batgirl costume, waving goodbye. It’s a subtle message to the fans, and a sad nod to the movie, as it works its to the Warner Bros. and HBO Max shelf.
Even as we post this story, we are having a hard time accepting the fact that Batgirl was unceremoniously dumped. Given the fact that WB has a streaming service in HBO Max, with a DC hub, it doesn’t make sense that the studio didn’t allow the co-directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah to at least finish post-production and share the movie as a curiosity. For while Batgirl never reached the level of, say, a Snyder Cut of Justice League, it did have fans who eagerly were anticipating Barbara Gordon’s big-screen debut. Thank you, Leslie Grace, for busting all sorts of embargoes (we assume), and giving us a peek into the process.
