A new set photo from the set of the upcoming Batgirl film for HBO Max was taken down, presumingly by DC Comics due to what it revealed. The set photo was of a newspaper clipping that revealed the fate of a Batman villain and Lex Luthor.
The two villains in question were Lex Luthor and the Penguin. For those who don't know, Penguin was the villain during Michael Keaton's time as Batman and Lex Luthor was played by Jesse Eisenberg in the recent universe penned by Zack Snyder. It's unclear how this version of the Penguin exists in the same world as Batgirl, which is believed to be set in the DCEU because J.K. Simmons will be playing Barbara/Batgirl's father, Commissioner Gordon.
The newspaper clipping in the photo is interesting because it supposedly name-drops two villains from different universes. Assuming the Lex Luthor is the one played by Eisenberg, it may mean that Batgirl takes place in the same world as Ben Affleck's Batman, which means she's essentially in the fan dubbed "snyder-verse." The smaller headline reads, "A Comeback For Cobblepot," which implies that Danny DeVito's Penguin didn't actually die and the Tim Burton villain may be returning.
With Keaton's Batman returning in Batgirl as well as the upcoming Flash film, many are wondering where DC is taking this universe. It's unclear on how they'll keep the continuity moving forward, but one thing that is clear is that DC will not be following the Marvel Studios route. They have two different paths and are going about storytelling in two different ways.
Many can assume that this is a very big deal because of the simple fact that photo was taken down from Twitter. Right now, it seems Warner Bros. and DC are looking to clean up social media by taking the photo down with copyright strikes. The speed with which they managed to erase the photo was telling because it may have been a well-kept secret that was the unfortunate victim of getting revealed too soon.
The Keaton set photos, a billboard of Robin, and even costumed photos of Batgirl weren't taken down, so it's a mystery as to why this photo was erased since it was just a newspaper clipping. Perhaps it must be tied to something bigger that fans aren't privy to. One would assume that many of the leaks would be big, but it seems viewers don't know every secret that DC is hiding.
Batgirl is expected to be released on HBO Max in 2022.
Source: drisraelluna/Twitter (via WeGotThisCovered)
