Warner Bros Decides Not To Release “Batgirl” Even Though Filming Has Completed

By
Jadee Ng
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Sorry DC fans, we know this isn’t the news you’d want to hear.

The movie Batgirl, starring actress Leslie Grace who plays Barbara Gordon / Batgirl and Michael Keaton who was reprising his role of Bruce Wayne / Batman, has been cancelled.

According to multiple industry reports, Warner Brothers and DC films have decided to shelve the entire film which was originally set to release this year, with no plans to release it in theatres or on HBO Max.

This comes as quite a surprise to many, especially since the casting of Leslie Grace brought in quite a bit of praise and anticipation for the movie as its decision had displayed a welcoming shift in the superhero genre towards embracing greater diversity.

The Dominican-American actress first experienced her breakout moment in the 2021 Musical Drama In the Heights.

“It was such a beautiful opportunity to be granted and a big responsibility,” the 27-year-old actress told E! News in an interview a few months ago when asked about how she felt being casted as Batgirl.

She was the third Latina to be cast in a DC superhero project.

Strategic Misalignment of “Batgirl” With DC Films and HBO Max

Multiple sources say that one of the reasons for the costly move was because the film did not fall in line with the new strategy that DC Films and HBO Max were moving towards.

“The decision to not release Batgirl reflects our leadership’s strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max,” a spokesman from Warner Bros said.

The studio was looking to make theatrical tentpoles with budgets beyond $90 million, and Batgirl clearly did not fit the bill.

The film was green-lighted at a $70 million budget before production.

However, the New York Post, who first reported the news on Batgirl’s cancellation, say that according to sources, the film ended up exceeding $100 million in costs due to shooting having to be done during the COVID-19 lockdown.

The decision follows multiple recent changes across the company, including major changes to HBO Max, with more expected to follow during the company’s earnings call set to happen later this week.

Test Screenings of the Film Received Poor Reviews

As filming wrapped and an edit was subsequently made, DC films had conducted a series of test screenings for audiences in anticipation of its release in 2022.

According to top Hollywood sources, the tests were received so poorly by moviegoers that the studio decided that it was in the interest of both the brand’s future as well as fans, to cut its losses and scrap the movie altogether.

“They think an unspeakable Batgirl is going to be irredeemable,” a source which spoke to the New York Post said.

In response to the cancellation, a spokesman from Warner Bros also said, “Leslie Grace is an incredibly talented actor and this decision is not a reflection of her performance. We are incredibly grateful to the filmmakers of Batgirl and Scoob!: Holiday Haunt and their respective casts and we hope to collaborate with everyone again in the near future.”

Not an Unusual Move for The Man who Pulled the Plug

David Zaslav became the CEO of the newly merged Warner Bros and Discovery, and has been coined by some as a “budget-conscious CEO”.

He took on the position after then-chair Toby Emmerich left to pursue his own production company.

The move to shut down a multi-million dollar project for the sake of the brand doesn’t come as a surprise to some, as Zaslave one axed the $300 million streaming service CNN+ just three weeks after its launch, after the initial subscriber count failed to meet expectations.

Over in Marvel Cinematic Universe, things seem to be looking brighter following the announcements of the next two Avengers films, set to release in 2023.

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Featured Image: Instagram (@lesliegrace)

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Jadee Ng
Email: [email protected]