In 2021, I could not believe my ears when I heard that a Batgirl movie was in the making. Finally, I could see a female counterpart to my childhood-favorite superhero, Batman, on-screen!
But, alas! There was no easier way to outright dash my hopes than for the movie to be shelved infinitely at the very last moment. The film had been deep into post-production, and this was shocking news for everyone, including the movie’s stars.
HBO Max’s Batgirl was canceled due to a change in Warner Bros. Discovery’s corporate strategy. The film did not fit the new focus on theatrical releases and the re-evaluation of financial costs at WBD. It was announced to be shelved in August 2022.
Was Batgirl canceled due to poor ratings?
WBD has not claimed the cancellation of Batgirl on poor reviews during test screenings. Though several reports claimed responses to be negative to the movie, the company has attributed the movie’s cancellation to only its strategy change.
Throughout the promotion of the films through videos, pictures, and behind-the-scenes of shoots, the audience had just been waiting on their toes for the movie to release in late 2022 finally. The actors, too, seemed extremely excited to share their film with us, as evident in actor Leslie Grace’s Instagram post.
However, Batgirl’s failure to meet expectations was widely circulated and considered a factor when the decision to cancel the movie was announced. But, WBD has not officially claimed it to be one reason to shelve the film. They attributed the company’s change in vision and financial move as the only factors in the shocking decision.
Was Batgirl canceled due to changes in WBD’s policies?
WBD has attributed the cancellation of Batgirl to the change in its strategic policies after a leadership change. Fitting the film to its new policy of theatrical releases would have doubled the expenditure at a time when the company was re-evaluating its financial costs.
The Hollywood Reporter reported a WB spokesperson:
The decision to not release Batgirl reflects our leadership’s strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max.
WB spokesperson
There was a clash of strategies between new WBD CEO David Zaslav and former WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar on theatrical and HBO releases. While the latter wished to release content purely on the OTT platform and create a stream of subscriptions, the former desired theatrical releases that would then release online on the streaming platform.
However, Batgirl failed to fit the bill of a huge theatrical release of the likes of DC’s The Flash and the sequel of Aquaman. The film had huge spending already due to the CoViD pandemic and reshoots. To bring it to the level of a mega theatrical release would have doubled the already exceeded budget.
WBD was also cutting down its costs and expenses along with a view of theatrical splendor in mind. Batgirl could not compete with both these visions, and thus, the film was decided to be shelved.
Was Batgirl canceled due to its actors?
Batgirl was not canceled due to its actors and their performance in the movie. The movie’s creators have announced that the decision was solely based on the company’s change in policies and not due to the actors cast in the filmor their performances.
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
A spokesperson of WBD said to The Hollywood Reporter
Leslie Grace was cast as the titular Batgirl in the movie, and she was to be the first Latina to play the role. The directors of the film were Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. Its cast also included Michael Keaton as Batman, J.K. Simmons as Batgirl’s father, and Brendan Fraser as the villain Firefly among others. The movie had been another milestone for representation and empowerment and eagerly awaited to be seen on-screen.
However, with the movie announced to be shelved indefinitely, we can only hope that, sometime soon, WBD will change its plans for the film. Or that Batgirl finds herself on the screen through some other film, and let’s all keep our fingers crossed that this movie will be worth the wait and anticipation.
About Batgirl
Batgirl was an upcoming superhero film in the DC Extended Universe. It was supposed to have an exclusive debut on HBO Max sometime in 2022-23 and was slated to be directed by Adil Al Arbi and Bilall Fallah (previously worked on Ms Marvel) with a screenplay by Christina Hodson (screenwriter for Birds of Prey). Kristin Burr was listed as the producer.
In July 2021, it was confirmed that Leslie Grace will be playing Batgirl/Barbara Gordon. However, due to unavoidable circumstances, Warner Bros. announced in 2022 that the upcoming film has been cancelled.
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