Leslie Grace is fueling speculation about a possible Robin appearance in her upcoming Batgirl movie. The In the Heights actress is leading the cast of the upcoming DC Extended Universe installment alongside Brendan Fraser as the villainous pyromaniac Firefly, Jacob Scipio as Gotham City mob boss Anthony Bressi, Ivory Aquino as Barbara Gordon's best friend Alysia Yeoh and Rebecca Front, Corey Johnson and Ethan Kai in undisclosed roles. Batgirl will also mark the DCEU return of J.K. Simmons as GCPD Commissioner Jim Gordon as well as Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman following his multiversal arrival with The Flash.
Development on Batgirl has suffered a rocky road over the past five years, with Joss Whedon originally hired to write, direct and produce the film, though would ultimately depart, with conflicting reports indicating he failed to come up with a story as well as being let go by Warner Bros. in the hopes of finding a female director. The studio would get a female screenwriter with Birds of Prey's Christina Hodson to pen the script for the film, though would turn to Bad Boys for Life duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah to take the helm for the new DCEU effort. From there, development on Batgirl moved smoothly as Grace was cast two months later and production would run from November 2021 to March 2022.
Nearly two months after filming wrapped, Leslie Grace took to Instagram (via CBR) to keep anticipation high for her upcoming turn as Batgirl. In a now-expired story, Grace shared an image of Detective Comics No. 526, an anniversary edition that marked Batman's 500th appearance in the comics series which also features Batgirl and Robin, sparking new speculation of the Boy Wonder's appearance in the new DCEU movie. Check out a screenshot of Grace's story below:
Penned by iconic comics creator Gerry Conway and drawn by Don Newton, 1983's Detective Comics No. 526 was Jason Todd's second full appearance in the world of DC Comics and saw his world turned upside down as he learns that Bruce Wayne is Batman and his parents were murdered by Killer Croc. In the years that followed, Todd would be adopted by Bruce Wayne and trained by he and his predecessor Dick Grayson to become the new Robin while Grayson would take on the mantle of Nightwing. Todd would infamously be killed off in the comics by the Joker with 1988's "A Death in the Family" storyline before being resurrected and becoming the brutal vigilante known as the Red Hood.
Grace's new Instagram story isn't the first time a Robin appearance has seemingly been teased for the Batgirl movie. Set photos emerged in January showing a mural of Michael Keaton's Batman paired with an indiscernible Robin, leaving many to speculate which version of the Boy Wonder would appear in the film, the most notable being that of Dick Grayson given his relationship with Barbara Gordon in the comics. With no release date set yet for Batgirl, only time will tell whether Keaton's Batman will be accompanied by a Robin or if the Dark Knight continues to fly solo.
Source: Leslie Grace/Instagram (Via CBR)
