Gotham City has just gotten even more interesting.
According to Collider, Jayme Lawson has landed what is considered to be a role of a lifetime in Matt Reeves’ upcoming The Batman. No, we don’t know what role she’ll be taking, but the speculation is flying as high as her presumed character.
As Jeffrey Wright has been officially cast as Commissioner Jim Gordon, many fans posited that this means his daughter Barbara Gordon, who eventually becomes Batgirl in the comic books, would be black as well. Which is a really big fucking deal.
Barbara Gordon was introduced as Batgirl in Detective Comics #359 (January 1967), following another version named “Bat-Girl” in 1961 (Betty Kane). This iteration of Batgirl is not to be confused with Batwoman, whose alter-ego is Kathy Kane (the aunt of the 1961 version of Batgirl). Ruby Rose currently portrays Batwoman in The CW’s titular television show. Whew! OK, take a breath along with me, that was a lot of interlocking info.
Back to Lawson!
A recent Juilliard graduate, Lawson is currently portraying Lady in Red in the Off-Broadway revival of Ntozake Shange’s choreo-poem for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf (referred to and shortened as For Colored Girls), which opened on Oct. 22.
Collider reports:
While training at Juilliard, Lawson played Juliet in Romeo and Juliet as well as the title role in Hamlet, and she has also played Lady Macbeth onstage.
Of course, I am hoping Lawson has nabbed the most buzzed-about role, but whatever part she takes in The Batman, she’ll be a formidable addition! Homegirl is a thespian! Along with Wright, Lawson’s casting news adds to the black-ass Gotham City to come. Zoë Kravitz was recently announced as Catwoman.
The Batman will be released in theaters June 25, 2021. The Root has reached out to Lawson’s team for comment.