Wait, Is The Batgirl Movie Teasing A Major Batman Character Appearance?

Robin DC Comics artwork
(Image credit: DC Comics)

Leslie Grace’s Barbara Gordon may be the star of the upcoming Batgirl movie, but she isn’t the only member of the Bat-Family stopping by for this DC Extended Universe tale. Last month, we learned that following his reprisal of Bruce Wayne in The Flash, Michael Keaton will be back for another round of Caped Crusader action in Batgirl. Now a set picture from the production has been shared online that may be teasing an appearance from Dick Grayson, a.k.a. Robin.

Batgirl has been shooting in Glasgow, Scotland since late November, and one of the new photos of the production taken by PA Wire’s Andrew Milligan (shared by Glasgow Live reporter Craig Williams on Twitter) is of crew members moving a mural of Batman and Robin. The Batman depicted is unquestionably Michael Keaton’s going off the costume, while Robin’s design is reminiscent of how he was illustrated in the ‘60s and ‘70s.

So at the very least, we know that in the post-Flash DCEU continuity, Michael Keaton’s Batman was joined in his crimefighting crusade by a version of the Boy Wonder. Does that mean Robin could show up in Batgirl? It’s possible. Without Remorse’s Jacob Scipio has been cast in an undisclosed role, and I could see him playing Dick Grayson. Conversely, High School Musical: The Musical - The Series’ Joshua Bassett recently teased he’s working on something “super secret,”and it’s been rumored this could be appearing as Robin in Batgirl.

Like Batgirl, a movie with Dick Grayson as the central protagonist has been in development for years, albeit in his Nightwing guise rather than as Robin. The LEGO Batman Movie’s Chris McKay is still attached to direct Nightwing, and he said back in June 2021 that he still planned to make the movie and could rework it to remove any DCEU connections if need be. If someone is playing Dick in Batgirl, perhaps this movie sets the stage for him to switch superhero identities and eventually embark on his own adventure.

In any case, if Robin does show up in Batgirl, his assistance will be appreciated, as the movie will see Barbara Gordon clashing with the pyromaniac known as Firefly, played by The Mummy’s Brendan Fraser. Batgirl also sees the return of J.K. Simmons as James Gordon, Barbara’s father and the Gotham City Police Department’s commissioner who briefly appeared in Justice League (both versions). Behind the scenes, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (who directed Jacob Scipio in Bad Boys for Life) are helming the movie off of a script written by Birds of Prey and The Flash’s Christina Hodson.

Batgirl doesn’t have a release date set in stone yet, but it will premiere exclusively on HBO Max rather than screen in theaters. Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for updates on its progress and news about other upcoming DC Comics movies.

Adam Holmes
Senior Content Producer

Connoisseur of Marvel, DC, Star Wars, John Wick, MonsterVerse and Doctor Who lore, Adam is a Senior Content Producer at CinemaBlend. He started working for the site back in late 2014 writing exclusively comic book movie and TV-related articles, and along with branching out into other genres, he also made the jump to editing. Along with his writing and editing duties, as well as interviewing creative talent from time to time, he also oversees the assignment of movie-related features. He graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Journalism, and he’s been sourced numerous times on Wikipedia. He's aware he looks like Harry Potter and Clark Kent.