After the shock cancellation of DC's Batgirl movie, Warner Bros. explains the reasoning behind its unexpected decision. Set for an HBO Max release, the Batgirl movie would have debuted Leslie Grace as Barbara Gordon. Directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah with the story written by Christina Hodson, Batgirl has also assembled a solid ensemble of DC characters, with J.K. Simmons is set to reprise his role as GCPD Commissioner Jim Gordon (Barbara's father), Michael Keaton returning as Batman, and Brendan Fraser taking on the movie's villain, Firefly.
Principal photography for the Grace-led movie started in March 2021, and wrapped earlier this year. Given the project was near completion, when news broke out that Warner Bros. had cancelled Batgirl, the industry (and fans) was understandably surprised and perplexed. Several reports claimed that the decision to scrap Batgirl was due to a several reasons, including budgetary concerns and poor test screenings. The film, in addition to already having finished filming, supposedly cost $90 million to make including COVID-19 protocols. Soon after, fans began sharing their shocked response to the Batgirl news on Twitter, but Warner Bros remained tight-lipped until now.
Now, a Warner Bros. spokesperson has told THR that the decision to cancel Batgirl was due to a "strategic shift" by management, led by the newly-installed Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav. The statement emphasized that Batgirl's cancellation has nothing to do with Grace's performance in the film, calling her "an incredibly talented actor." The spokesperson also thanked directors Adil & Bilall, saying the studio wants to work with them again:
“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 [the also cancelled] Scoob! Holiday Haunt and their respective casts and we hope to collaborate with everyone again in the near future.”
During its San Diego Comic-Con 2022 panel, Warner Bros. only promoted two films: Shazam: Fury of the Gods and Black Adam. This caused many to wonder why Batgirl didn't get an SDCC mention when it was also expected to release this year. Now, it seems likely that Warner Bros. had already decided to shelve the project at that point. This new statement, however, does not necessarily shed more light on the situation. The comments from Warner Bros. are brief, and don't explain why the company chose to cancel a big-budget film that has already finished filming. While industry insider reports say that Batgirl's cancellation is part of Zaslav's move to prioritize cost-cutting measures and focus on making DC films for theatrical release rather than streaming, it's unclear whether the "strategic shift" mentioned in the statement is aligned with this.
Whether or not Warner Bros. is planning any more project cancelations is unknown at this point. Regardless, this bold decision to shelve Batgirl when it is almost finished could ultimately negatively impact the company's moviemaking, not just for its DC ventures, but in general. Creatives could be more skeptical in working with Warner Bros. now, knowing that the studio could pull the plug on a project regardless of where it is in the production process. As for the public, fans have varying opinions about Batgirl's cancellation, and many hope that a more thorough explanation for the decision will arrive in the coming days.
Source: THR
