‘Batgirl’ Casts Ivory Aquino as Barbara’s Roommate, the First Trans Character in a DC Movie

Ivory Aquino cast in Batgirl

The cast of the upcoming Batgirl movie keeps expanding.

 

Officially announced by Leslie Grace, and then picked up by Variety, Ivory Aquino will play Barbara Gordon’s roommate and best friend, Alysia Yeoh. Both Alysia and Ivory are transgender, a first for openly trans characters in live-action comic book adaptations. In particular, this will be the first transgender character to ever appear in a DC movie.

 

Batgirl is currently shooting in London, tentatively aiming for a release on HBO Max later this year. Leslie Grace (In the Heights) plays the titular role, and she is joined by Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman, and J. K. Simmons as his father, Commissioner Gordon. Rebecca Front, Corey Johnson, and Ethan Kai are also in the movie, though we don’t know anything about their roles yet.

 

Leslie Grace posted a picture from the set on her Instagram account a few days ago, writing “Barbara and Alysia” and tagging Ivory Aquino:

 

 

This is of course not the first LGTBQ+ representation happening at DC — whether we’re talking about CW’s Batwoman, Supergirl, or the animated Harley Quinn, WB Television has been slowly incorporating characters that belong to this community. However, this is the first time a transgender character will be appearing in a live-action movie. Though it should be noted that the movie will be direct-to-streaming, as it’s being developed with HBO Max in mind despite the high profile it’s acquiring as production progresses.

 

Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (Bad Boys For Life) are directing a script from Christina Hodson (Bumblebee, Birds of Prey, The Flash). If you haven’t already, check out the first-ever picture of the new Batgirl costume here.