Leslie Grace is parting ways with the lively neighborhood of Washington Heights for the dark underworld of Gotham City. The In The Heights star, who is of Afro-Latina ancestry, has officially been selected for the titular role in HBO Max’s Batgirl.
First reported by Deadline, the industry newcomer is headed straight into DC’s juggernaut franchise, fresh off her breakout role in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hotly-contested musical film. Although the details of the plot have not yet been disclosed, Grace will portray Barbara Gordon (aka Batgirl), the daughter of Gotham police commissioner Jim Gordon. The heroine first arrived to the Batman realm in 1961 with Betty Kane’s notable portrayal.
I am BEYOND EXCITED to embody Barbara Gordon, your #Batgirl ! I cannot believeeee what I’m writing rn… THANK YOU DC for welcoming to the family! I’m ready to give her all I’ve got! 🦇💜✨ https://t.co/muq9GuVVk6
— Leslie Grace (@lesliegrace) July 21, 2021
“I am BEYOND EXCITED to embody Barbara Gordon, your #Batgirl,” Grace wrote in an ecstatic response to the news. The 26-year-old continued, “I cannot believeeee what I’m writing rn… THANK YOU DC for welcoming to the family! I’m ready to give her all I’ve got!”
Grace’s reprisal of the superheroine is yet another momentous occasion for the Grammy-nominated actress-singer. In her breakout role in In The Heights, she played Nina Rosario, a first-generation college students grappling with pressures of feeling ostracized at Stanford University and being hailed as one of the grateful few to “make it out.” Although the film itself was criticized for its glaring erasure of darker-skinned principal actors, Grace’s representation as an Afro-Latinx woman was an integral the picture’s display of the Latinx diaspora.
Earlier this week, Deadline reported that executives were testing a group of actresses for the highly-coveted role, including Grace, Isabela Merced, Zoey Deutch and Haley Lu Richardson. According to exclusive follow-up reports, the studio was keen on Grace’s acting chops and her audition ultimately “sealed the deal.” Batgirl, which one of the first DC film’s to debut exclusively on HBO’s streaming platform, is helmed by Bad Boys for Life directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah.
