Batgirl fans are now experiencing a Batastrophe thanks to the suits at Warner Bros. Discovery.
In the latest in a series of growing concerns regarding DC Films projects, Warner Bros. Discovery pulled the plug on Batgirl, a DC Extended Universe film based on the DC Comics superhero, despite $90 million already being spent on production. The film would have starred Leslie Grace as Batgirl/Barbara Gordon, J.K. Simmons as Commissioner James Gordon, Brendan Fraser as Firefly/Ted Carson, Ivory Aquino as Alysia Yeoh, and Michael Keaton as Batman/Bruce Wayne.
The Hollywood Reporter has a decent rundown of why Batgirl was canceled, but the primary reason seems to be a "new corporate strategy from Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, who opted to shelve the project in order to take a tax write-down on the $90 million film." The film was greenlit for around $80 million under former WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar, who also lined up multiple DC projects for HBO Max budgeted more modestly than theatrical releases. Batgirl's budget increased to $90 million as a result of COVID-19 protocols.
According to THR's sources, Warner Bros. Discovery considered putting more money into Batgirl to make it a 2023 theatrical release. When a very early version of the film test screened, with temporary visual effects and score, it received a score in the low 60s and is believed to have only tested once. Test screenings are best used to determine whether audiences are engaged or disengaged during certain parts of the film, not as a final judgment call. For example, horror films that end up doing well have been known to test in the 60s. Leadership under Zaslav worried that the film wouldn't deliver enough spectacle that DC fans expect.
Concern is growing of more DC Films cancellations, with Blue Beetle, Supergirl, Black Canary, Green Lantern Corps, and Zatanna becoming potential victims of Zaslav's "new corporate strategy."
The official Warner Bros. Discovery statement remarked, "The decision to not release Batgirl reflects our leadership’s strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max. 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."
Leslie Grace, who would've been the first DC Universe Latina lead, wrote on Instagram, "Querida familia! On the heels of the recent news about our movie Batgirl, I am proud of the love, hard work and intention all of our incredible cast and tireless crew put into this film over 7 months in Scotland. I feel blessed to have worked among absolute greats and forged relationships for a lifetime in the process! To every Batgirl fan – THANK YOU for the love and belief, allowing me to take on the cape and become, as Babs said best, ‘my own damn hero!’ Batgirl for life!"
Earlier this week, Batgirl filmmakers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah were in Morocco, where they had recently celebrated El Arbi’s wedding. Afterwards, they received the stunning news that Batgirl would be shelved, despite it being deep into postproduction ahead of the planned release on HBO Max. "We are saddened and shocked by the news," they wrote in a statement. "As directors, it is critical that our work be shown to audiences, and while the film was far from finished, we wish that fans all over the world would have the opportunity to see and embrace the final film themselves. Maybe one day they will, insha’Allah."
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