The DC Extended Universe is altogether much less focused than its main competitor, the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The constant deviation from the main storyline and multiple versions of the same characters make it hard to predict which stories are taking place in the same realities.
The upcoming Batgirl film, directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, is set to premiere on HBO Max sometime this year. There are no less than three recent cinematic portrayals of Gotham City that the film could theoretically take place in. Snyder’s Gotham from Batman v. Superman? Todd Phillips’ Gotham from Joker? Matt Reeves’ Gotham from The Batman? Or perhaps a new reality just for her?
The answer to Batgirl’s placement in the canon is answered by the cast list. There’s only one listed returning character from any of the ongoing franchises, J. K. Simmons as Commissioner James Gordon. Gordon is Batgirl’s dad, so his role will be substantial in the film. Simmons’ inclusion in the film in that role ensures that the film takes place in the main DCEU, along with Batman v. Superman and Justice League. The timeline and where Batgirl fits into it are much harder to figure out. The current screenplay was commissioned in 2018, after the release of Justice League, but before the Snyder Cut came out. The film could theoretically take place before or after the events of the existing films. There’s no word of Ben Affleck’s Batman popping up in the film so far, but his take on the character was distinctly late in his career. But, at least one Batman is slated to appear in the film.
Not much is known about Batgirl, so far. The film was pitched as a Joss Whedon project, but due to a cocktail of public blowback and Whedon’s complete lack of ideas, he abandoned the film. The new screenplay for the piece comes courtesy of Christina Hodson. Hodson wrote the first decent film in the live-action Transformers franchise, 2018’s Bumblebee. She made her DCEU debut in 2020, with the criminally underrated Birds of Prey.
Between that film and the upcoming Batgirl, Hodson also wrote the screenplay for The Flash, cementing herself as a key fixture of the DCEU. Her influence on the ongoing narrative seems to have started a substantial shift away from the early days when Zack Snyder was the commanding creative hand on the reigns. Hodson holds a unique honor with her role in the DCEU, she’s going to be the screenwriter that crafts Michael Keaton’s return to the Batman role after over thirty years.
Keaton’s return to the cowl and cape is hotly anticipated, and he’ll be appearing in both The Flash and Batgirl. Some fans have speculated that Keaton’s role isn’t replacing the existing DCEU Batman, but is serving a Nick Fury-style team-building force. Barry Allen’s time-hopping antics and multiversal shenanigans will only further complicate the DCEU, making it even harder to place Batgirl. She’ll be playing alongside the already established Justice League, with the possible side effect of finally realizing one of the most beloved comic book groups; the Batman Family.
The Batman Family, sometimes known as Bat Family or Bat-Fam, is the network of sidekicks, allies, and crime-fighters who join Batman in his Caped Crusading. The closest thing fans have had thus far came in the 90s when Batgirl briefly joined the widely disliked film, Batman & Robin. The modern Batman in the cinema is strictly devoted to being alone. In the DCEU, Robin is killed offscreen, and Batman is only accompanied by Alfred. Perhaps introducing Barbara Gordon’s Batgirl could finally lead towards a Bat-Fam franchise that exists in the same universe as the ongoing Justice League universe.
Batgirl will be taking place sometime in the mainline DC Extended Universe. There hasn’t been much released about the film’s plot, but it seems like the film will be aimed at a simple origin story for a character who hasn’t hit the big screen in decades. Of course, every DCEU property is almost required to feature a post-credit scene or out-of-place trailer montage that sets up later films, but it seems like Batgirl will primarily stay simple. She’s slated to take on Brendan Fraser’s Firefly with a new perspective on Gotham City. The DCEU started out huge and only occasionally reduces its scale.
Nearly every DCEU property is about larger-than-life figures and the fate of the world almost always hangs in the balance. Batgirl has the chance to become a unique standout in the DCEU. A younger hero taking on a city-scale danger, while dealing with the classic superhero double life is exactly the kind of personal adventure that the DCEU needs more of.
Batgirl is set to be part of the larger DCEU, along with James Gunn’s efforts, Zack Snyder’s films, Shazam, and Birds of Prey. The film could change the narrative in several ways when it drops on HBO Max later this year.
