Warner Bros. has begun testing for the lead role of Barbara Gordon in the HBO Max Batgirl movie, and the first contenders to suit-up as Gotham's other caped crusader have now been revealed.
According to Deadline, Isabella Merced, Zoey Deutch, Leslie Grace and Haley Lu Richardson have all read or are expected to read for the part. We have no idea which (if any) of these actresses are the favorites to land the gig, but it sounds like it's very early days, so there's a good chance more names will come to light soon.
Merced, FKA Isabella Moner, played the title character in 2019's Dora and the Lost City of Gold, and will next star alongside Jason Momoa in Netflix's Sweet Girl. Deutch has appeared in the likes of Set It Up, The Hound, and Zombieland: Double Tap, while Grace most recently played Nina in In The Heights. Richardson, meanwhile, is known for her roles in Support the Girls, The Edge of Seventeen, and Split.
We recently learned that Bad Boys For Life directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah are set to helm the DC Comics adaptation. Christina Hodson, who wrote Bumblebee and also worked on Birds of Prey and The Flash, penned the most recent draft of the script.
Avengers director Joss Whedon was originally attached to Batgirl, but parted ways with the project back in 2018 after claiming that he failed to "crack the story." Adil and Bilall successfully revitalized the Bad Boys franchise with the highly profitable third installment, and also helmed episodes of the upcoming Disney+ Ms. Marvel series.