The 'When They See Us' star is tapped to star in the HBO Max movie as Barbara Gordon's best friend Alysia Yeoh, the first trans character in a live-action DC film.
- January 25, 2022
AceShowbiz - "Batgirl" is embracing diversity with the new addition to its cast. The movie has tapped transgender actress Ivory Aquino to star alongside Leslie Grace, J.K. Simmons, Brendan Fraser, Michael Keaton, Ethan Kai, Jacob Scipio, Rebecca Front and Corey Johnson.
Aquino's casting is a historic one since she will portray the first major transgender character in a live-action film adaptation of DC Comics. She is set to portray Alysia Yeoh, the best friend of the titular superhero a.k.a. Barbara Gordon, who is portrayed by "In the Heights" star Grace.
Alysia is a roommate of Barbara and primarily works as a bartender. First introduced in a 2011 issue of "Batgirl" written by Gail Simone and penciled by Ardian Syaf, she is depicted as a transgender woman of Singaporean descent.
The movie is directed by "Bad Boys for Life" directors Adil Eb Arbi and Bilall Fallah for HBO Max. It centers on Barbara, the daughter of Gotham City police commissioner Jim Gordon, who moonlights as the Gotham City vigilante. Oscar-winning actor Simmons reprises his role as Jim Gordon after appearing as the character in 2017's "Justice League" and Zack Snyder's cut (2021).
Fraser is cast as the villain Firefly, while Keaton returns as Bruce Wayne a.k.a. Batman from Tim Burton's 1989 film of the same name and its 1992 follow-up "Batman Returns". Details of other actors' roles are currently unknown.
Christina Hodson penned the script while filming is currently underway in Glasgow, Scotland. After a number of set photos leaked online, Grace recently unveiled via Instagram the first official photo of her in full Batgirl costume.
She captioned the image with a quote from "Batgirl, Year One" issue. "I use their expectations against them. That will be their weakness. Not mine. Let them all underestimate me…," it read. "And when their guard is down, and their pride is rising, let me kick their butts."
As for Aquino, she is best known for portraying transgender activist Cecilia Chung in the 2017 miniseries "When We Rise". She has also starred on "When They See Us", "Tales of the City" and "FBI: Most Wanted".
