It broke yesterday that Warner Bros. has nearly sealed a deal with Avengers director Joss Whedon to write and direct a standalone Batgirl feature film, which will usher Barbara Gordon into the DC movie universe. Unlike the 75+ years of history that Batman or Nightwing have under their capes, it’s only been 56 years since Batgirl’s debut in April of 1961 (still… longer than most Marvel Comics characters). Babs also spent a very important stint as the Oracle, feeding exclusive information to the Justice League, which may offer an insight into where her big screen journey may end up.
Joss Whedon is very well known for his affinity for young female characters (Kitty Pryde, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, River Tam, Echo), and the high regard with which the geek community regards him, making him a very attractive choice for Warner Bros. to bring on board for their second solo female superhero movie.
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Also: The Top 10 Actors Who Should Play Nightwing
Barbara Gordon is a character that could require a specific look (if she is going to retain her classic comic book appearance with the red hair), an aptitude for physicality and hand-to-hand combat along with significant brain power. Ideally, the actress to the take on the role should be able to handle Star Trek- level technobabble with ease and grace while simultaneously handling Whedon-level quips, do a certain amount of her own stunt work, and maybe look a little bit like J.K. Simmons who plays Commissioner James Gordon beginning with the Justice League movie (maybe).
To date the most famous portrayal of Batgirl is probably Yvonne Craig from Batman ‘66, which would put this new actress in a unique position to define Barbara Gordon for a new generation of moviegoers. There are still a lot of details up in the air about how Babs will be interpreted: Will she be a love interest for Dick Grayson? Will we believe that she can work with the Justice League? Does she work as a librarian by day?
There are plenty of fan favorite picks, but here we have our own. Here is Crave’s list of…
The Top 10 Actresses Who Should Play Batgirl
Top Photo: 20th Century Fox / Warner Bros.
The Top 10 Actresses Who Should Play Batgirl
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10. Evan Rachel Wood
It’s definitely not clear yet what age the DCEU version of Barbara Gordon will be, but if Ben Affleck’s Batman is in his 40s, then it would make sense of Babs to be in her 30s. Wood is very well-liked for her work on HBO’s Westwood and, based on that, she could definitely work well in the darkness that Batfamily stories tend to take on. And… she is definitely the fan favorite front runner right now.
Photo: Kevork Djansezian / NBC / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
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9. Holland Roden
The first redhead on the list, you may know her from MTV’s Teen Wolf television series where she plays a character with a lot of presence who is often positioning herself as a leader. Roden is no stranger to genre storytelling and could absolutely convey the high stakes that would make up any big budget Batgirl story. Imagine all that hair coming out the back of a black or purple cowl!
Photo: Angela Weiss / Getty Images for Republic Records
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8. Malese Jow
An actress who has already had a chance to play in the DCTV Universe as Linda Park on CW’s The Flash. Malese Jow was wonderful in her work there and could bring a lot of spunk to the role of Barbara Gordon that would make her a lot of fun to see opposite whoever is going to be playing Nightwing. Not only that, but Jow brings a nice collection of awards and nominations with her into any role she takes on.
Photo: Miquel Benitez / Getty Images
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7. Naomie Harris
Naomie Harris is one of the best parts of the latest incarnation of the James Bond franchise and could bring that same grace and presence to Barbara Gordon that she did to Moneypenny - elevating a character people may not know that much about. She comes directly off Moonlight, for which she was highly celebrated, that would put her on a similar level as Ben Affleck. Harris’ Batgirl could hold her own against Bruce Wayne or anyone else she shared a scene with - and we also know she can handle running combat scenes after Skyfall!
Photo: Steve Granitz / WireImage
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6. Jessica Brown Findlay
Fans of Downton Abbey will know Jessica Brown Findlay for playing the spirited youngest daughter of the Crawley family. She is a trained ballerina and an actress with an amazing sense of movement and storytelling with her body. This would make her a natural to take on the more physical aspects of playing Batgirl where other actresses may possibly fall short. Particularly if she is going to wind up paralyzed in future DCEU films, having an actress with a great sense of physicality will be paramount.
Photo: Samir Hussein / WireImage
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5. Madelaine Petsch
The youngest person on this list, also known for a popular comic book television adaptation - Riverdale. Petsch’s dramatic performance as Cheryl Blossom is a fan favorite and translating that to Barbara Gordon could be a lot of fun, particularly if the character is going to go on to star alongside some of her fellow female superheroes in a Birds of Prey movie. She would bring more of a father/daughter relationship to Batman and Batgirl, but that could be a really nice way to soften the edges of Affleck’s Batman.
Photo: Maarten de Boer / Getty Images Portrait
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4. Ziyi Zhang
If you are a North American, you probably first saw Ziyi Zhang in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Since then she has enjoyed a highly celebrated career with a few different forays into wushu movies. This would put her into a unique position for being able to execute martial arts and combat on screen that could really differentiate her version of Batgirl from anyone else. Ziyi Zhang would be a peer to Batman (and Wonder Woman as well!), which could lead to her taking a stronger leadership role inside the Batfamily. That would be really cool!
Photo: George Pimentel / WireImage
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3. Megalyn Echikunwoke
The second Arrowverse actress to make it onto this list. Echikunwoke played Vixen in both her eponymous animated series and in live-action on Arrow. She has proven that she can hold her own against more well-known male characters, which is a real concern with Batgirl transitioning into the DCEU , and that she can handle high energy combat scenes that may or may not be augmented by metahuman abilities per the identities of the combatants. Vixen is also a character very defined by the city she comes from, much as Barbara Gordon is a true daughter of Gotham. She could easily highlight the effect of the setting on the vigilante.
Photo: Rob Kim / Getty Images
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2. Alicia Vikander
With her new role as Laura Croft in the Tomb Raider reboot, Vikander is proving that she is up for the physical challenges that come with playing a superhero. She is also no stranger to genre films, having garnered a lot of attention for her role in Ex Machina. She is at the perfect place in her career to take on a superhero role and has more than proven that she has the acting chops to take on a character with as potentially complex emotional journey as Batgirl could have. Plus, we could easily believe that she worked as a librarian.
Photo: Dan MacMedan / Getty Images
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1. Rose Leslie
Looks aren’t everything, but it is tough not to put a redhead on the top of a list to play Barbara Gordon. Rose Leslie’s previous roles have put her through a gauntlet that seems like a training ground specifically to play the most beloved version of Batgirl. On Downton Abbey she played Gwen Dawson who was obsessed with educating herself and learning as much as possible at every available opportunity, a performance that she could easily adapt to portraying the eidetic memory and extreme intelligence that has come to define Babs. After that, as Ygritte on Game of Thrones , Leslie confirms that she can handle specific demands of a genre project with a devout fanbase and that she has the prowess to handle a physically demanding role. All of this, on top of her appearance, make her the best - and perhaps most obvious - choice to bring Barbara Gordon Batgirl to life in the DCEU.
Photo: David M. Benett / Dave Benett / Getty Images
