With the recent theatrical release of The Batman and the return of Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck’s Batmen in The Flash later this year, DC’s Caped Crusader is getting developed in some pretty significant ways on the big screen. Fans have definitely been curious to see what the future holds for the larger “Bat family” of characters in the film space, especially as HBO Max’s Batgirl film will build out the world of Barbara Gordon / Batgirl (Leslie Grace). One recent rumor that has swirled is that Teen Wolf and The Maze Runner star Dylan O’Brien will be joining Batgirl as Dick Grayson / Nightwing — and apparently, the rumor has gotten back to O’Brien himself. During a recent appearance on the Post Cred Podcast, O’Brien revealed that he’s “aware” of the fancasting, but has not heard anything professionally about it.
Videos by ComicBook.com
“I’m aware of it, I’ve seen a lot of it,” O’Brien explained. “I’ve not heard anything about it on the professional side, but it’s cool that it made its way to me, to the point where I asked my manager ‘Is this even an actual thing?’”
The notion of Nightwing potentially appearing in the Batgirl film is interesting, especially given Barbara’s comic-accurate rapport and oft-romance with him, and the fact that a mural during the film’s production appeared to hint at a Robin alongside Keaton’s Batman.
Batgirl is directed by Bad Boys for Life‘s Bilall Fallah and Adil El Arbi, with a script written by Christina Hodson, whose work includes Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) and the upcoming The Flash movie. The film is expected to see JK Simmons reprising his role as Commissioner James Gordon, Michael Keaton reprising his role as Bruce Wayne / Batman, Brendan Fraser joining the cast as Firefly, Ivory Aquino as Alysia Yeoh, and Jacob Scipio, Rebecca Front, Corey Johnson, and Ethan Kai cast in currently-unknown roles.
“This is only my second role, but I’m learning from my colleagues and other friends of mine that you put a little bit of yourself into each character,” Grace explained in an interview with Entertainment Tonight earlier this year. “And just in the bit of research that I’ve been doing leading into pre-production, I’ve learned a lot of things about Barbara that are very in line with me.”
“She’s someone who’s been underestimated by even her own dad and being the youngest kid, sometimes you’re insulated from all of the tough stuff of life and she’s so eager to prove to herself and to everybody else that there’s some things that she can handle,” Grace continued. “So, this journey is definitely going to show me a lot of that. I feel like I’m on an endless journey of proving to myself what barriers I can break, what limits I can break for myself and I’m excited to put a little bit of that eagerness and drive and, like, almost a bit of stubbornness into Barbara’s character.”
What do you think of Dylan O’Brien’s comments regarding potentially playing Nightwing? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
Batgirl is expected to debut on HBO Max at a later date.
