While the upcoming DCEU film Batgirl will be an HBO Max exclusive in the United States, it is slated to release in theaters across the pond.
The upcoming DC Extended Universe film Batgirl appears to be headed for a theatrical release — just not in the United States.
According to an updated release schedule circulated by Warner Bros. UK, Batgirl is scheduled to hit cinemas in the United Kingdom in 2023, though a specific release date is not available. As far as the U.S. is concerned, the film is still expected to release exclusively on HBO Max. Batgirl has long been slated to hit HBO Max stateside sometime in 2022. At this time, it’s unclear if the film’s 2023 U.K. is indicative of a delay for the U.S. release.
Directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (Ms. Marvel) from a script by Christina Hodson (Birds of Prey), Batgirl stars Leslie Grace as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl. Set within the DC Extended Universe, the film also stars J.K. Simmons, who reprises his role as Barbara’s father, Commissioner James Gordon, from Justice League (2017) and Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021). Additionally, Michael Keaton reprises his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman from Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992). Keaton is also expected to play his version of the Dark Knight in the DCEU film The Flash.
Gotham by Gaslight
In addition to Grace, Simmons and Keaton, Batgirl stars Jacob Scipio as Anthony Bressi and Ivory Aquino as Alysia Yeoh. Rebecca Front, Corey Johnson and Ethan Kai have been cast in undisclosed role. Finally, The Mummy‘s Brendan Fraser stars as the film’s main antagonist, Firefly. This is Fraser’s second major DC role, as the actor also stars as Cliff Steele/Robotman on the HBO Max original series Doom Patrol.
In May 2021, it was confirmed that Warner Bros. and DC’s long-gestating Batgirl movie would be skipping theaters and heading straight to HBO Max. This was originally the plan for fellow DCEU film Blue Beetle, which stars Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes/Blue Beetle. However, Blue Beetle was changed to a theatrical release, and is slated to bow on Aug. 18, 2023. In April 2022, it was reported that Warner Bros. was considering making Batgirl a theatrical release as well. But while a theatrical release certainly seems to be in the cards for U.K. audiences, Batgirl is still expected to go straight to HBO Max in the U.S. at the time of writing.
Batgirl does not have a release date.
Source: Twitter