Batgirl is one of the most talked about movies right now, which is ironic given that it's one that nobody will ever get to see, as Warner Bros. canceled the $90 million movie. The film was all but complete and in the final stages of post-production, but it was scrapped after the studio had no faith in it. Regardless of the quality, so much has come to light about the movie that hints at an interesting and exciting story, and, unfortunately, fans will never get to see it.
However, a movie about the film's cancellation could be just as exciting at this point. Between actors' outrage at the cancellation, the story leaks, and the co-director even finding out about the cancelation on his wedding day, the constant updates are more thrilling than any upcoming Warner Bros. movie.
90 Minutes Of Score Was Completed
Movie composer Natalie Holt was scoring the movie, and even though Batgirl wasn't a completed work when it was scrapped and was still in the middle of post-production, Holt says she already had 90 minutes of the score completed. The composer explains, "It’s a shame that it’s not going to be out there in the world after all that time, like having spent a year working on it. Yeah, pretty disappointing."
The composer is coming off the huge success of Loki, which she also composed, and that score was quirky, exciting, and completely different from anything in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So it would have been interesting to hear what she could have done with a more gothic visual counterpart. Unfortunately, unless Warner Bros. uses it for something else, audiences will unlikely ever hear it.
An Anonymous Star Of The Movie Is Offended By The Cancellation
While Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav has already axed so many movies since heading the studio, Batgirl was the biggest hit of all. The news was affected by many people involved in making the movie, whether it's the star of the film, Leslie Grace, or the directors, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. But everybody has still remained civil when discussing how disappointed they are.
However, one anonymous star doesn't hold back on the decision, calling the move "cowardice." The star continued, "It was an enormous, rewarding challenge to make this movie during COVID, and during the cold weather in Glasgow. None of these things matter to an imbecile like Zaslav." The movie had a huge cast of actors outside of Grace, including J.K. Simmons, Brendan Fraser, and Michael Keaton, so it's impossible to figure out who said it, but there's no doubt they're all feeling the same way.
The Villain Was Killer Moth
Few plot points were known about Batgirl, but, ironically, a lot is being detailed now it has been canceled, including whom the main antagonist was. The movie had a villain that general audiences had never been introduced to before, Killer Moth. The character in the movie wore a green tracksuit and a giant Moth head tattoo, as revealed by stunt performer Jules Wallace, who doubled for the unknown Killer Moth actor.
The character most likely had scenes with Commissioner Gordon, as Wallace posed for a photo with J.K. Simmons' stunt double too. While Batman movies often use the same revolving door of villains, such as Joker, the Riddler, and Bane, even if they are completely different iterations, the unreleased movie at least introduced a character who had never been on the big screen before.
Leslie Grace Might Still Be In Future DC Projects
According to an unknown source, even though Batgirl was canceled, Warner Bros. is still "entertaining the idea" of bringing back Grace for more DC movies. When Grace signed onto the project, she probably signed a multiple-movie deal, just like how Marvel Studios is commonly known to do, and it'd be a waste of talent if Warner Bros. doesn't take advantage of that.
Not only that, but the actor could have already shot footage for The Flash, which has been in post-production for so long. Either that or WB could even grab footage from Batgirl to use in The Flash, which could actually be a viable possibility given that the upcoming movie has a ton of problems of its own and that the studio might want to cut down on Ezra Miller's screentime.
The Cancellation Started A New Social Media Trend
There have been a lot of meme reactions to the cancelation, poking fun at Zaslav subtly confessing how heartbroken some fans are, but the news also started a social media trend. After the HBO Max exclusive movie, several other titles were removed from the streaming platforms, including the Seth Rogen comedy An American Pickle and COVID heist flick Locked Down.
And now, Twitter users are using the hashtag #HBOMaxJustCanceled to joke about other fake movies that HBO has removed, such as Catman and a Dwayne Johnson Starring Squidward movie. While it's heartbreaking for everyone involved in the unreleased movie that they can't screen their work, regardless of how good or bad it is, it's at least inspiring some strange outside-the-box comedy.
The Cancellation Saved Warner Bros. $20 Million
To general audiences, it might seem strange to cancel the release of a movie that has already been shot and has almost completed post-production, especially when the studio has already sunk $90 million into it. However, there would be more costs just around the corner if the studio did follow through with Batgirl's release, and even though it was planned to go straight to HBO Max, it'd still cost millions to market the film.
Instead, Batgirl was a tax write-off for the studio which reportedly saved them $15-20 million. That means that Warner Bros. had absolutely no faith in the film that it was willing to lose $70 million. The studio didn't believe that movie would have gained enough new HBO subscribers to warrant its release.
It Can Never Get A Snyder Cut-Type Release
Loads of directors want their own Snyder cut, and now fans want the Batgirl Snyder cut. Even though the movie has been canceled, fans still believe that it could see released, whether it's in a few months or a few years, because of how fan demand led to Zack Snyder's Justice League being greenlit years after the disappointing theatrical cut.
However, that, unfortunately, seems legally impossible. As the film has become a tax write-off, that doesn't mean it can simply be temporarily shelved until Zaslav and co. think of a way to release it at a time when they think it will be profitable. A tax write-off is a tax write-off, and strict laws keep it from being released. The only way it could really ever be released is if somebody from Warner Bros. leaked it.
Keaton Gifted The Directors A Signed Batman Returns Movie Book
While the movie's directors are undoubtedly upset, especially as, according to Metro, El Arbi heard about the movie's cancelation on his wedding day, they're getting tons of support from fans, colleagues, and even Michael Keaton. It isn't clear how big of a role Keaton had in the movie, but he reprises his role of Bruce Wayne, and given that he's also going to be in The Flash, he's seemingly being set up as a Nick Fury-type character for the DCEU.
And he must have been on set long enough to form a bond with the directors, as he sent them a signed Batman Returns movie book when he heard the news. Though it isn't going to undo the movie's cancelation, a unique book with a personal message from Keaton will surely help ease the pain a little.
It Had The Same Test Screening Score As Black Adam
The movie's cancellation has sparked a ton of speculation over why it was actually canceled, with most concluding that it was just not a good movie. But that doesn't make total sense, as Warner Bros. has never been afraid to release a bad film, especially not in recent years. The test screenings add weight to this, as Batgirl had the same low test screening score as Black Adam.
Unfortunately, that also means that Black Adam might not be the exciting movie that fans want it to be. But given that the movie stars Dwayne Johnson, there's no way it won't make hundreds of millions of dollars, and it could even hit a billion. However, low test screening scores of movies still in the early stages of post-production isn't always a sign that the film will be bad, as It had the same score as Black Adam and Batgirl too.
It Included A Michelle Pfeiffer Reference
Michelle Pfeiffer is undoubtedly the best Catwoman, and Batgirl apparently had a reference to her. The low score isn't the only information that came out of test screenings, as it was also reported that the Batman Returns Catwoman mask can be seen in the film.
It isn't exactly clear how the mask appears, whether Batgirl finds it or if it's hinting at Michelle Pfeiffer's appearance in the future. And coupled with the fact that Keaton sent the directors the Batman Returns movie book, this information might mean that the 1992 Tim Burton-directed movie might have been connected to the unreleased film more than fans know.
Robin Might Have Been In The Movie
For a movie that was canceled and fans won't get to see, there were a couple of huge surprises that audiences would have never seen coming. Even though Keaton's Batman doesn't have a Robin, Batgirl seemingly retconned that, as a behind-the-scenes photo shows a mural of Batman and Robin on a wall.
And what's more interesting is that Robin's outfit is refreshingly comic book accurate. It isn't clear whether the mural is just an Easter egg for fans or if Robin does exist in this universe, but either way, it creates countless windows of opportunities. The mural also hints at more Keaton Batman adventures after Batman Returns, but, unfortunately, fans will never see or hear what those adventures were.