The DCEU looks like it’s finally getting all their ducks in a row. In the past, Warner Bros and DC have limited their audiences exposure to characters to their main core group. Outside of Batman and Superman even Wonder Woman has taken a back seat, until now. Movie projects reportedly coming from the studio have sparked rumors that their universe will be getting much larger in the near future. Everyone from Supergirl to Nightwing, to Deathstroke, and Batgirl have been tossed around or confirmed to be appearing in the next round of films.
The most solid of those rumors have been Batgirl as the studio has already signed Joss Whedon to direct. For now, those plans have been put on hold as Whedon has stepped in to replace Zac Snyder who stepped away from the Justice League film. Luckily for fans though, that won’t stop the rumor train from chugging along. The latest rumor is a short list of actresses sought after to fill the role in the Bat-family. The hardest challenge for the film will be finding an up-and-coming actress who is both young enough to fill the role, but mature enough to handle the content. The rumors started from the subreddit /r/DCEULeaks and now has spread like wildfire that the short list includes:
Elle Fanning
Olivia Cooke
Bella Thorne
Katherine Langford
Margaret Qualley
Jane Levy
Emma Roberts
Haley Lu Richardson
Naomi Scott
Of the actresses on that list, none stand out as a household name by today’s Hollywood standards. Each has enjoyed some form of success with their latest projects but it’s clear DC and Warner Bros want to find their next Wonder Woman for a breakout female role. If they were casting off looks alone both Thorne and Levy would stand out as the closest resemblance to the character. Unless they want another colossal failure on their hands, casting better include more than just looks. Too many of DC’s leading ladies have been cast for pretty faces in the past and left the character falling flat on the big screen.
DCEU needs to get Batgirl right. The character plays such a large part in the comic universe but has little exposure to viewing audiences. With each character that comes off the comic page, WB and DC take more and more of a gamble. With their checkered history with their movies, they can’t afford another step back. They’ve gone the non-traditional route before with actors like Michael Keaton and Heath Ledger who both knocked their role out of the park. Hopefully, for the next generation of Batman fans, they lock down someone who will bring a new audience to their every growing universe. The more characters they can bring to life the better their chances of creating variety in an often stale superhero market. Will they know who they want when the big announcements come at SDCC? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.