Warner Brothers Studios and the executives behind the DC Extended Universe have officially canceled Leslie Grace's solo Batgirl film, which was slated for release on HBO Max sometime before the end of 2022. With the shocking and sudden cancellation of the film, fans are outraged at being cheated out of yet another highly-anticipated project set within the DCEU.
Though the film itself seems destined to never see the light of day, fans remain hopeful that certain elements therein could still find their way into the larger DCEU sooner or later. The film's stellar cast, shortchanged by the surprising cancelation, certainly deserves another shot at playing their respective roles in the superhero franchise, which would go far in amending the growing rift between DC fans and Warner Brothers Studios.
Corey Johnson
A character actor known for playing Ken Quinn in Captain Phillips and, more recently, Mr. Fox in Sony's Morbius film, Corey Johnson was set to appear in HBO Max's Batgirl film. However, Johnson's role in the DCEU remains uncertain now that the movie will go unreleased. While it is unknown exactly which character Johnson would have played in the scrapped film, he would likely have filled the role of a minor villain, perhaps a henchman to either Scipio's or Fraser's character.
Though the executives behind the DCEU have been anything but forthcoming regarding the characters of Batgirl and their prospective futures in the franchise, fans can expect many of these personalities to be lost by the wayside. Nevertheless, talented actors like Corey Johnson could doubtlessly lend their abilities to various roles from DC Comics, perhaps even finding themselves recast as completely different characters than audiences would have seen them portray in the scrapped Batgirl film.
Jacob Scipio
Known for his roles in Bad Boys for Life and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Jacob Scipio is a star on the rise. Keeping in line with his history of playing unstable villains, the English actor had been confirmed to appear in Batgirl as the mob boss Anthony Bressi. As such, Scipio would have brought the gang world of Gotham to life through his role, as is often the case with Gotham City-set films and series.
DC and Warner Brothers would be foolish to waste a talented star like Jacob Scipio. While fans may not be dying to see the relatively obscure character of Tony Bressi adapted for live-action, Scipio could easily appear in another role within the DCEU. With a history of playing the villain, the actor could even adopt a far meatier role as a supervillain going up against one of the franchise's biggest hitters, such as Batman or Superman.
Ivory Aquino
During the film's pre-production phase, Filipina-American actress Ivory Aquino was tapped to play the best friend and roommate of Barbara Gordon, Alysia Yeoh. The character was expected to have a relatively important role in the film, though details regarding her storyline were not revealed--and will likely never be.
Fans of DC Comics know that Alysia Yeoh plays an important role in the life of Barbara Gordon, often acting as her closest confidant and friend. She even eventually becomes aware of Barbara's nighttime activities as Batgirl, keeping her friend's secret thereafter.
J.K. Simmons
J.K. Simmons is known for his terrific films Whiplash, La La Land, and Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy. However, his tenure with DC has been spotty at best. The Academy Award-winning actor was cast as Commissioner James Gordon for 2017's Justice League film, only for the character to be ignored for years thereafter. Commissioner Gordon was expected to appear in Batgirl, however, where his daughter Barbara would take on the titular mantle.
Though fans won't be able to see J.K. Simmons in Batgirl, he remains one of the few actors from the canceled film that has already been established in the DCEU. As the franchise's definitive version of Commissioner Gordon, fans can expect to see Simmons return in other Batman-related projects, though none are currently on the docket for the near future.
Brendan Fraser
Known for his hit projects from the late 1990s and early 2000s, Brendan Fraser has been out of the spotlight for some time. Now, as the actor returns to Hollywood once more, Fraser is desperately in need of a comeback role. Many fans of the actor believed that this would come in the form of his villain role in Batgirl, in which he was confirmed to play the Firefly, sparking incredible disappointment from fans after it was revealed that they would not ever see this dream brought to life.
Losing a villainous role from Fraser may prove to be one of Batgirl's biggest missed opportunities, while also cheating the beloved actor of the comeback his career so desperately needs. Including Fraser as the villainous Firefly in another project, such as a sequel to The Batman or in one of DC's various Gotham City-set spinoffs would go a long way in mending the divide between Warner Brothers and DC fans following recent shakeups.
Leslie Grace
The Internet is truly shaken up about Batgirl's sudden misfortune. While the film's cancellation has inspired plenty of memes, many fans have also voiced their support for Leslie Grace, whose future within the DCEU remains uncertain. Cast as Barbara Gordon, a.k.a. Batgirl, last year, Grace was expected to have a long and prosperous tenure within DC's cinematic universe, making her solo film's cancelation all the more shocking.
While Batgirl seems unlikely to ever see the light of day, nothing has yet been confirmed regarding the status of Grace's character in future projects set within the DCEU. Warner Brothers Studios has been complimentary of the actress's portrayal of the character in the weeks since the film's cancelation, perhaps indicating that they would be open to working with her again in the future. If this is the case, fans shouldn't be surprised to see Barbara Gordon appear in another DCEU film somewhere shortly as a means of making up for her film's shocking termination.
Michael Keaton
Before its cancelation, Batgirl was slated to be just one of several projects in which Michael Keaton would reprise his iconic role as Bruce Wayne, a.k.a. the Batman, which he originated in 1989's Batman film. Though story details for Batgirl are scarce, it was expected that Keaton's Caped Crusader would act as the mentor to Leslie Grace's burgeoning superhero, guiding her to the beginning of her career as the solemn protector of Gotham City.
While fans will, unfortunately, be unable to see Keaton's character training Barbara Gordon as the new Batgirl, this doesn't mean that they have seen the last of the iconic Batman actor in the DC Extended Universe. The character is already confirmed to make an appearance in 2023's upcoming blockbuster The Flash, which, despite recent controversy surrounding its lead, is still expected to meet its release date. As such, fans should remain excited to see at least one (if not more) appearance from Keaton's Batman before he officially hangs up the cowl.