Transgender actor Ivory Aquino has joined the cast of Batgirl, marking a historic moment for the DC Universe.
She will play the transgender character Alysia Yeoh, the best friend of Leslie Grace's Barbara Gordon (Batgirl), in the upcoming HBO Max movie. The casting was first reported by Variety.
Yeoh's appearance will mark the first time that a live-action film adaptation of a DC Comics title will feature an openly trans character. Aquino's casting follows an equally important moment in Supergirl's fourth season, which introduced television's first trans superhero, Dreamer.
Aquino is best known for her portrayal of trans rights activist Cecilia Chung in the 2017 ABC miniseries When We Rise. She joins previously confirmed Batgirl actors Michael Keaton (Bruce Wayne), JK Simmons (Commissioner Gordon), Brendan Fraser (Firefly) and Jacob Scipio in an unknown role.
Alysia Yeoh first appeared in a 2011 issue of Batgirl, written by Gail Simone and illustrated by Ardian Syaf. You can see what she looks like in the comics via the tweet below.
Looks like Ivory Aquino was cast as Alysia Yeoh!! pic.twitter.com/eFBDATy81jJanuary 18, 2022
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Bad Boys for Life directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah are directing the upcoming superhero movie, which has been written by frequent DC collaborator Christina Hodson (best known for penning The Flash and Birds of Prey).
Batgirl is scheduled to release in 2022, but no official date has been set yet.
A bright year for the dark knight
If Batgirl's 2022 release window proves accurate, the next few years could be the most exciting for Caped Crusader fans in quite some time.
The main arrival is, of course, Matt Reeves' The Batman, which hits theaters on March 4, 2022, but several other projects are currently in the works that are part of WarnerMedia's ambitious plan to launch its own interconnected Batman universe. in the world. vein of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
For example, we know that the studio is developing a crime drama about Gotham City, with British screenwriter Joe Barton attached as showrunner. Colin Farrell will also reprise his role as Oswald Cobblepot in an HBO Max spin-off series centered on Penguin.
Neither of these projects is likely to make it until late 2022, but we're sure we'll see some sort of trailer for one or both once audiences have seen (and hopefully enjoyed) The Batman and Batgirl.
Moviegoers won't be the only ones having fun, either. Gotham Knights, an upcoming video game from developer WB Montreal, will see players don the mask of Batgirl, Robin, Nightwing, and Red Hood. It is currently scheduled for a 2022 release.