Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav defends the shocking cancellation of the DCEU movie Batgirl, which would have starred Leslie Grace. The DCEU brand had a massive shake-up earlier this week with one of their most highly anticipated films suddenly being shelved. With the film having been in development for years, Barbara Gordon was finally set to join the DCEU, with Leslie Grace portraying the iconic heroine in Batgirl. The DCEU project was set to tell the origin story of Grace's Barbara becoming the newest protector of Gotham City. It was based on a script by Christina Hudson with Ms. Marvel's Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah directing.
However, in a move that no one saw coming, Warner Bros. Discovery ended up cancelling the Batgirl movie, despite it having finished principal photography. Production was completed on March 31 and Batgirl has been in the post-production stages for months. Unlike some other DCEU films, Batgirl was set to be an HBO Max original prior to the cancellation. Batgirl became the second DC/HBO Max movie to get scrapped after Wonder Twins was also cancelled. Given Batgirl has already finished filming, it sent a shockwave through the industry, and was met with impassioned reactions by Batgirl fans online.
After several days, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has spoken more about the choice to scrap Batgirl from the HBO Max slate. During the merged company's Q2 earnings call (via Variety and The Wrap,) a Q&A was held where Zaslav was asked to speak more about what led to the decision to cancel Batgirl. For Zaslav, the goal is to grow, while also protecting, the DC brand. He said that the studio would only release projects they believe in, and Batgirl didn't hit the mark for them. See his comments below:
“We’re not going to launch a movie until it’s ready. We’re not going to launch a movie to make a quarter, and we’re not going to put a movie out unless we believe in it. The objective is to grow the DC brand, to grow the DC characters, but also our job is to protect the DC brand, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Warner Bros. Discovery's previous statements specified that the Batgirl decision wasn't made due to the talent involved, but more to adhere to "our leadership’s strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max." Still, the announcement made waves in Hollywood, with the cancellation prompting responses from Batgirl actress Grace, the directors, and other Batgirl members. While not confirmed by Warner Bros. Discovery, other factors that may have played into Batgirl's cancellation could have been due to reportedly negative test screenings.
While Zaslav wouldn't elaborate more about Batgirl, his comments make it clear the studio didn't have a lot of faith in the film, at least not in its current state. Even though the movie was cancelled, there are already new reports that various Batgirl talent isn't finished with Warner Bros. Reportedly, Grace, along with directors Arbi and Fallah, are eying new deals with the studio. Whether or not any of those potential projects have anything to do with Batgirl remains to be seen.
Source: Variety and The Wrap
