Jena Malone’s Mystery Role In ‘Batman v Superman’ Accidentally Revealed
When Warner Bros. announced that Jena Malone would play a part in the Batman v Superman movie, months and months of speculation ensued among fans on which role the actress would be playing. The most popular candidates were Batman’s sidekicks, such as Batgirl, Robin (Carrie Kelley), Batwoman, Oracle, and more.
Batman v Superman director Zack Snyder, however, recently revealed in an Entertainment Weekly interview that Jena Malone will not appear in the theatrical version of the highly anticipated film, but he later added that the actress is bound to make an appearance in the R-rated director’s cut instead.
Jena Malone's Cut Mystery 'Batman V Superman' Role Accidentally Revealed https://t.co/8W1XiIQNVA pic.twitter.com/35jj9wYw18
— Comics Alliance (@comicsalliance) March 11, 2016
Since then, fans have speculated that Jena Malone, popularly known for playing the role of Johanna Mason in The Hunger Games franchise, will be playing the role of Barbara Gordo, aka Batgirl,in the Batman v Superman film. Snyder, however, shot down the rumors, saying with emphasis that Jena Malone is “definitely not Robin (Carrie Kelley) or Batgirl.”
“I think we should keep it private, but it’s nothing that’s been talked about,” said Snyder. “She’s definitely not Robin or Batgirl. I’m happy to say that.”
But now comes a survey, which was originally posted on Reddit by user katniss_everjeans and released to members of the Warner Bros. “A-List Community,” suggests that Snyder may have tricked us, according to Nerdist. While he did say that Jena won’t be playing Batgirl, he also didn’t say that she won’t be playing Barbara Gordon from her pre-Batgirl days. Or maybe Malone will be playing Oracle instead?
In the survey, Warner Bros. asked members what Batman V Superman characters they’d like to see more of in the upcoming ads. As shown in the image below, included in the list are the words “Jena Malone as Barbara Gordon.”
So yes, it appears that Jena Malone’s mystery role is no longer a secret. If Malone is playing Barbara Gordon, it’s only a matter of time before she starts donning the cape and cowl as Batgirl. It’s unlikely to occur in BvS, so Justice League might be our best bet.
For those who aren’t too familiar with the character, Barbara is a character from the Batman mythos who eventually took up the mantle of Batgirl. In Alan Moore’s popular Batman graphic novel The Killing Joke, Barbara was paralyzed from the waist down after being shot by the Joker through the spine. She was able to recover from her injury but became wheelchair-bound. This didn’t stop her from joining Batman in the fight against crime, however, as she took up the Oracle persona. While unable to glide through Gotham as Batgirl anymore, she more than makes up for it by using her hacking skills and vast tech resources. Oracle also became the commander of the all-female crime fighting squad, Birds of Prey.
As those who are familiar with the Batman mythos would tell you, Barbara Gordon is the daughter of Commissioner James Gordon. Academy Award winning actor J.K. Simmons has recently been announced to play Commissioner Gordon in Justice League, which will begin filming a couple of weeks after Batman V Superman premieres.
With that in mind, it’s looking like Warner Bros. is up to speed in terms of expanding on the DC Cinematic Universe, especially Batman’s corner of that universe, which can only lead to a new Batman movie. And right on cue, Ben Affleck has revealed to Entertainment Weekly that a Batman solo movie is already in the works.
Ben Affleck says solo Batman movie is "in development" – will he direct? https://t.co/52yXonkxzE pic.twitter.com/6yMmCu2mXr
— Total Film (@totalfilm) March 10, 2016
“There’s definitely willingness and a will and a desire to make a [standalone] Batman movie on the part of Warner Brothers,” Affleck said.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice hits theaters on March 25.
SUPERMAN Causes More Collateral Damage In Batman V Superman – https://t.co/mbMOvrj36Z pic.twitter.com/SYkZePfIXB
— ComicBook NOW! (@ComicBookNOW) March 11, 2016
[Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP]