Ivory Aquino, a transgender in real life, has been roped in to portray the character of Alysia Yeoh in the upcoming live-action DC Comic film Batgirl.
A leading international entertainment portal reports that this is the first time when a live-action film adaptation of a DC Comics title will star an openly trans character in a prominent role.
The character first appeared in a 2011 issue of Batgirl, written by Gail Simone and pencilled by Ardian Sya. The comics shows it as the best friend of the titular superhero aka Barbara Gordon.
In addition to Ivory Aquino, the upcoming film also has Leslie Grace, J.K. Simmons, Brendan Fraser, Michael Keaton and Jacob Scipio on the ensemble cast.
Set to premiere on HBO Max, Batgirl is an Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah directorial.
Aquino is known for her performance in such successful projects as When They See Us and Tales of the City. She has also acted in series including Blue Bloods, FBI: Most Wanted, New Amsterdam, and High Maintenance.
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