Batgirl (2025) Movie || Jenna Ortega, Margot Robbie, Leslie Grace, || Review And Facts
[Music] the e e e e e e Hello friends welcome to the aay West rounder where Celluloid dreams unfold and tales of cinematic Wonder come to life from the grandor of epics to the intimacy of Indies we embark on a journey through the reels of time exploring the vast Landscapes of film join us as we delve into the heart of Storytelling dissecting the magic woven by directors actors and the boundless imagination of the human Spirit here opinions are as diverse as the characters on screen and every critique is a window into the soul of Cinema prepare yourself for an adventure beyond the screen welcome to a k West rounder where every frame is a canvas and every review a journey let’s dive into the world of movie review Batgirl is an unreleased American superhero film based on the DC Comics character Barbara Gordon Batgirl produced by Burr Productions and DC films for the streaming service HBO Max it was intended to be an installment in the DC extended Universe duu directed by Adel L arbi and bill alala from a screenplay by Christina Hodson the film starred lesie Grace as Batgirl alongside JK Simmons Jacob cpio Brendan Fraser Michael Katon and Ivory aino development of a Batgirl feature film began with Jos wedon in March 2017 but he left the project a year later Hodson was hired to write a new script in April 2018 with L arbi and F hired to direct in May 2021 when the film was confirmed as an HBO Max original Grace was cast the July followed by additional castings including Katon reprising his role of Bruce Wayne Batman from Batman 1989 and Batman return turns 1992 and filming took place in Glasgow Scotland from November 2021 to March 2022 in August 2022 DC films and HBO Max parent Warner Bros Discovery wbd announced that while the film had entered post- production the studio no longer planned to release it as scheduled due to the company’s cost cutting measures and a refocus on theatrical releases in May 2016 the DC Comics character Barbara Gordon Batgirl had the potential to appear in a female superhero team up film starring Margaret Robbie as Harley Quinn 13 which became Birds of Prey 2020 Batgirl was ultimately not included in the film due to the development of a solo film starring the character 14 Jos wedon was hired in March 2017 to write direct and produce the solo film which was being overseen by Warner Bros pictures president Toby Emerich and DC film chairman John Berg and Jeff John’s 15 wedon was to begin production on the film in 2018 16 but left the project in February 2018 after being unable to come up with a story for it there was also additional scrutiny on wedon as a male director of a female focused film 17 with Warner Bros and new DC films president Walter Hamada planning at that point to replace wedon with a female filmmaker 18 birds of prey Christina Hodson was hired to write a new screenplay for Batgirl in April 2018 19 and was expected to begin writing the film after completing her work on another DC extended Universe DCU film The Flash 2023 20 in December 2020 thatgirl was listed as a film that could potentially be released exclusively on the streaming service HBO Max rather than in theaters as part of Hamada’s new plan for the duu 21 and in April 2021 it was included on DC’s slate of films that were expected to be released in 2022 or 2023 22 Adel L arbi and Bill alala who were both longtime fans of the character 23 were hired to direct the film a month later when it was confirmed to be planned as an HBO Max original Kristen Burr was producing the film by that time and said the directors were bringing an excited energy that would make the film a fun ride and show a different side of Gotham City from previous DC projects DC Executives began testing actresses for Batgirl in the week of July 19th 2021 with the group reportedly including Isabella mered Zoe DCH lesie Grace and Haley l Richardson 25 Richardson and Grace were considered to be the top contenders 26 Richardson went through several stages of auditioning 27 but Grace was cast in the role on July 21st one by July 29th JK Simmons was in talks to reprise his role as Batgirl’s father Commissioner James Gordon from Justice League 2017 and its 2021 directors cut 28 Simmons was confirmed to be reprising his role for the film in October three Jacob cpio and Brendan Fraser joined the cast later in October 57 respectively as the mob boss Anthony Bry six and as the villain Firefly Fraser previously voiced Cliff Steel robotman in the DC Comics television series Doom Patrol seven though it was initially reported that Fraser would portray the Garfield lind’s iteration he later clarified in July 2022 that he was playing the Ted Carson iteration with an original backstory not adapted from existing material eight the villain role was originally offered to Sylvester Stallone who voiced king shark in the DCU film The Suicide Squad 2021 but things just didn’t work out 2930 also in October L arbi and FAA said the character Batman would appear in the film but declined to confirm if benol would reprise his role from previous DCU projects 31 in December Michael Keaton was revealed to be appearing in Batgirl reprising his role as Batman from the film’s Batman 1989 and Batman Returns 1992 n Keaton had been expected to First reprised the role for the duu in the flash prior to that film’s delay to 2023 32 Rebecca front Cory Johnson Ethan Kai and ivory aino also joined the cast 1 110 with aino playing Alia yo who was set to be the first major transgender character in a DC film principal photography began in Glasgow doubling for Gotham City on November 30th 2021 33 under the working title Cherry Hill 343 536 John mat serves as cinematographer 37 l arbi and FAA had arrived in Glasgow on August 24th to prepare for filming and scouted locations with production designer Christopher glass Glasgow was previously used to depict Gotham City in the flash as well as the non DCU film The Batman 2022 3D 435 filming officially wrapped on March 31st 2022 38 in April 2022 arai and F exited Beverly Hills Cop Roman Ford to focus on Batgirl 39 following the merger between Warner Bros parent company Warner media with Discovery Inc to form Warner Bros Discovery wbd and the fall in stock prices for Netflix later that month Executives at Warner Bros we’re reportedly considering a switch for the film from a streaming release with a budget of around 70 million to a theatrical release with increased budget for post- production and a larger marketing push 40 the film was in post- production by the time its release was cancelled in August 2022 41 with Martin Walsh serving as editor 42 it did not have completed visual effects and still required some scenes to be filmed te’s not everyday a $90 million movie gets shelv but this might be one of those days according to several sources Warner Bros has decided to Shell the nearly complete Batgirl movie starring lesie Grace Michael Keaton and Brendan Fraser even after multiple rshs because apparently it’s so bad that it risks damaging the DC brand I have some doubts about this story and I suspect there’s a lot more going on here than just a bad movie first of all we all saw Wonder Woman 1984 WR look don’t get in my mentions defending the duu and I promise I won’t go after the SN verse much but can we all acknowledge that Warner Bros has been putting out terrible movies for the better part of a decade how much damage can Batgirl possibly do to the brand when we’ve all seen Suicide Squad even the good ones like Shazam and birds of prey are barely passable something tells me black adom isn’t exactly going to set a high bar for superhero movies either if it really is that bad it sounds like something we all need to see Warner Bros reported reasons for shelving the film don’t really make sense the first Outlet to report it was the right-wing site New York Post which claimed test screenings for the film went so poorly that the studio has opted to cut its losses other outlets like variety are reporting that it had nothing to do with quality but rather the Studio’s desire to only release Blockbuster scale movies Batgirl was budgeted for streaming not the theater and the new regime at WB only wants the world to see the biggest and best DC movies moving forward but this rationale barely tracks $90 million is on the lower end of duu budgets which typically range from $200 300 million but birds of prey and Shazam were both made for less than $100 million even if Batgirl was only ever intended to stream on HBO Max why not release it there the logic that WB only wants Blockbuster scale DC projects moving forward doesn’t check out when Peacemaker is already confirmed for a second season on HBO Max NB Warner Bros has never demonstrated having any kind of plan for the duu before why take this Firm Stance against measly $90 million movies all of a sudden lower budget projects have also proven to be pretty good too so this idea of prestige sounds like a load of nonsense the answer I suspect has a lot more to do with the behind the scenes politics of this regime change than anything about the film or the Studio’s plan for the DCU extending the franchise to HBO Max with films and shows was part of DC films president Walter Hamada’s plan to take on the maku but thanks to the pandemic multiple false starts including a Ben eul directed version of the Batman the accusations made by Ray fiser that Direct implicate Hamada and other DC execs and not to mention whatever the hell is going on with Ezra Miller and the Flash it wouldn’t be surprising if the new leadership wanted to distance itself from the Hamada era of the duu does that justify shelving a nearly complete film and saddling it and its creators with a reputation of being so bad it should never be seen obviously not I watched the new Tom and Jerry and Space Jam a new Legacy so I know what kind of junk WB is willing to dump on HBO Max Hollywood Insider Matthew balone reveals more details about the poor reactions to DC’s cancelled Batgirl movie from someone who attended a test screening Warner Bros Discovery sent shock waves through Hollywood when they made the unprecedented decision to completely cancel the HBO Max release of Batgirl which had a reported budget of $90 million and had already finished filming and was well into post- production back that girl would have starred in The Heights breakout lesie Grace as the titular heroine Oscar winner JK Simmons as Commissioner Gordon Brendan Fraser as the villain Firefly and Michael Keaton returning as Batman in the days since the news surfaced speculation has run rampant Regarding why the studio would cancel a nearly finished film Warner Bros released a statement saying the decision was motivated by a strategic shift Under New Management CEO David Z asav and had nothing to do with Grace’s performance in the film or the skills of the directing du behind the film Adel LR by and Bill alala further reports claimed the decision to scrap Batgirl was due to a refocus on theatrical releases cost cutting measures and poor evaluations by test audiences on his podcast the town Hollywood Insider balone revealed more details about Batgirl’s poor test screenings baloney detailed the discussion he had with someone who attended a test screening months ago after the screening the audience overwhelmingly agreed the film was not big enough to receive a theatrical release as it instead played like a TV pilot with low stakes the test screening attendee that balone spoke to also compared Batgirl to the box office bomb dark Phoenix despite reports to the contrary it seems like Warner Bros did consider a theatrical release for batg girl if what balone says is true the studio held numerous screenings in order to determine if it was worthy of a theatrical release but the consensus seems to have been that it was not the comparison to a TV pilot also makes sense since the Batgirl movie was produced for the streaming service HBO Max the comparison to dark Phoenix also does not reflect kindly on Batgirl the 2019 X-Men movie also tested poorly with audiences which resulted in the entire third act being reshot though this didn’t save it from becoming one of the biggest box office bombs of all time after determining Batgirl was not worthy of a theatrical release through test audiences Warner Bros Discovery decided it was not suitable for HBO Max either because its $90 million price tag was too expensive for streaming under Zas LA’s new standards thus the studio cancelled Batgirl in order to receive tax right off to help recoup the costs it’s certainly a devastating decision for everyone involved with the movie and anyone looking forward to seeing it Warner Bros faced controversy in summer 2022 when it acts a Batgirl feature film despite it being nearly finished but Peter saffron the new co-chairperson and CEO of DC Studios alongside James gun said it was the right decision at a press event on the Warner Bros lot on January 30th Batgirl’s a character that inevitably we will include in our story he said on the Batgirl front it’s not about late in the process of the film getting cancelled I saw the movie and there are a lot of incredibly talented people in front of and behind the camera on that film but that film was not releasable and it happens sometimes that film was not releasable I actually think that president and CEO of Warner Bros Discovery David zaslav and and the team made a very bold and courageous decision to cancel it because it would have hurt DC it would have hurt those people involved I think that they really stood up to support DC he continued the characters the story the quality of all of that I spoke to Adel L rby and Bill alala the directors last week we were chatting we’d love to be in business with all those folks Christina Hudson wrote it some people are already back in business with us as I said a lot of talented people were involved but the film just was not releasable it would not have been able to compete in the theatrical Marketplace it was built for the small screen so again I think it was not an easy decision but they made the right decision by shelving it saffron and gun discussed many of DC studios’s upcoming projects at the Press event including future films television series and Anime Adventures the early Batgirl test screenings were not that bad according to a new report Warner Bros Discovery shocked the entertainment world with the announcement they were completely shelving Batgirl despite the movie having completed filming and spent approximately $90 million already it was set to Star lesli Grace and the Heights in the title role and also featured Brendan Fraser as the villain Firefly and Michael Keaton reprising his role as Batman quickly following the film’s cancellation rumors started to circulate about why Warner Bros Discovery would scrap a film they had already shot Warner Bros released a statement saying the movie just did not fit the New Direction the studio is taking with duu films and reports following the cancellation suggested the movie was considered a small scale story not fit for theaters but also too expensive for streaming on HBO Max despite this there began rumors that the movie was cancelled due to the quality as Warner Bros didn’t want to release the film and risk harming the DCU brand however it appears that was not the case and the negative reaction Batgirl supposedly received in test screenings might have been exaggerated in a report from th following the cancellation of Batgirl they point out that the studio did test one cut of Batgirl for an audience without completed VFX work and attempt score the movie reportedly tested in the’ 60s which while not a glowing score was also the same that it tested in 2017 and that film eventually went on to grow $71 million worldwide it is also worth noting that Batgirl tested the same as Shazam Fury of the Gods according to the same report which Warner Bros has not cancelled and is still set to release in theaters it also ignores the fact that Warner brose Discovery also scrapped scoo holiday haunt which was reportedly very close to completion the fact that two HBO Max original movies were shelv indicates the reason has less to do with each film’s quality and more to do with the Studio’s new prioritization of theatrical distribution and how much they are now willing to spend on streaming material even if Batgirl’s test was poor a superhero movie being lowquality has not stopped Studios from releasing them in the past Warner Bros has a history of releasing superhero movies such as Jonah Hex Green Lantern and 2016 Suicide Squad all of which were Savaged by critics Sony Pictures released morbius twice in theaters and that film received some of the worst reviews for any superhero movie released in the past 20 years in a world where 2015’s Fantastic Four and New Mutants can find release in theaters it feels hard to believe that Batgirl deserves to be kept Forever on the Shelf DC these promotions for the impending Blue Beetle movie become more complicated after they accidentally promote the canel $90 million Batgirl movie Blue Beetle has a precarious place in the current buildup for the new DC Universe as while Jamie Rays is officially the first DCU hero Superman Legacy has been confirmed as the first DCU movie suggesting the events of Ray’s first appearance may very quickly be shown as not canon perhaps because of this complication the movie has been noted as having received little in the way of advertisem*nts or promotion making one instance that also accidentally features the since cancelled Batgirl movie receive more attention from audiences Twitter user cocor block noted this unfortunate setup after making a post intended to promote Blue Beetle as fans have been using the # Blue Beetle Battalion to try and bolster the DC movies hype and ensure prospective viewers are aware of the film and its passionate fan base afterward it became clear the promotion for Blue Beetle also contained a promotion for badgirl as the sin cut movies logo was one of several in a section labeled check out all of the DC films coming soon given the fact that Batgirl is by no means coming soon and seemingly will never be given there are no intentions to show the movie’s footage to the public this detail drew some notable scorn though the explanation as to how and why this happened is relatively mundane while it might seem bizarre that an installment coming out sometime after the cut Batgirl movie was officially taken off release schedules still has promotion for the film on its merchandise the comic stand itself was seemingly made before the announcements came out as it contains advertisem*nts for some already released DC movies such as the Batman the likely scenario is that the Blue Beetle part of the stand was either provided to stores as an ad on for the pre-existing comic stands or were sent to them way before Batgirl was cancelled creating an unfortunate Ode to the complicated history of DC’s recent movie landscape though the situation seems relatively straightforward it does also inadvertently hit on some bigger problems namely regarding the comparative lack of promotion regarding Blue Beetle itself with less active advertising to Hype fans have instead taken to promoting the movie however they can M themselves often in creative ways as such the reaction to the Blue Beetle merchandise seemingly promoting the already cancelled Batgirl strikes a chord where it may not have otherwise as a reminder of the treatment that some movies can face Batgirl star lesle Grace opens up about the less than ideal way she found out the movie had been cancelled and praises the work done on the film by cast and crew the Batgirl movie was one of the victims of Warner Bros Discovery CEO David zov’s plan of recouping monetary losses through making movies and TV shows tax write offs Batgirl being canceled was shocking since the movie had completed production but it appears even the star was among those surprised by the news speaking with variety Grace revealed she was not warned about Batgirl’s cancellation before it became public and defended the cut of the film she saw wb’s cancellation of Batgirl was first announced by the New York Post with Grace being among those shocked by the report the actress went on to reveal she asked to see a screening of the film as it stood at the moment of its cancellation at the start of the editing stage and she thought it was incredible the cancellation of the Batgirl movie doomed a number of interesting aspects of the film from likely ever seeing the light of day as DC starts moving to a new chapter of its Universe through new DC Studios coio James gun and Peter saffron the Batgirl movie could still be eligible for release even with its tax write-off status however it is unlikely the new DC bosses would go back on the decision and cause friction with zaslav especially since saffron recently agreed with Batgirl’s cancellation calling the movie not releasable there is also a major argument as to why Batgirl needs to stay in the past and it pertains to the movies Batman Grace’s Batgirl would have been joined in the movie by Michael Keaton’s Batman who had been speculated to train her throughout the movie Keaton’s role would have been part of a larger story for his character with Keaton’s Batman from the 1989 movie originally reported to take over as the main duu Batman from benol Batgirl being cancelled heavily diminished Keaton’s future as Batman which appears to be contained to The Flash and a possible appearance in Aquaman and the lost kingdom following the announcement of DC universe’s the brave and the Bold Batgirl would also have featured Brendan Fraser as Firefly in a performance that has been praised by both casts and crew Fraser’s role in the DC series Doom Patrol shows how much he can shine in the world of DC Comics which makes the loss of his Firefly performance saddening the Batgirl movie’s cancellation also cemented JK Simmons was waist as Jim Gordon following a single onscreen appearance in 2017’s Justice League Peter saffron one of the new bosses for the DC Universe argues that the cancelled Batgirl movie was unreleasable while the DC has been facing a lot of challenges Warner Bros Discovery is going in a New Direction Through the launch of DC Studios saffron and James gun were hired as the Coos for the new studio as they are taking charge of the DCU however the DC brand has been going through a lot of drama in the Press over the last few months the biggest cont controversy in 2022 was the sudden cancellation of Batgirl with lesie Grace supposed to play Barbara Gordon during a recent press event via the rap saffron opened up about Warner Bros discovery’s decision to cancel the Batgirl movie despite having finished principal photography Batgirl was scrapped by the studio and it’s a call that saffron is supporting the DC Studios boss felt that in the end there was no way to release Batgirl feeling that it wouldn’t be able to compete in the theatrical Marketplace the Batgirl cancellation has continued to be one of the most controversial moves in Hollywood for quite some time having a film that finished principal photography get ax is highly unusual the decision from the studio was primarily due to the massive budget cuts that they had to make after the merger Batgirl’s axing was the result of Warner Bros Discovery taking it for tax write Downs as far as saffron comments go it’s hard to say what Batgirl’s end result would have been because everything is hypothetical even though it was an HB Max movie the service is now available in most countries worldwide that means there could have been a potential success for bgirl had it been released as planned since the public has only seen brief glimpses of Batgirl through behind the scenes videos and images there is not a clear picture of what the end product would have looked like depending on how much saffron saw of the post- production work on the film it’s hard to determine whether or not Batgirl would have hurt the DCU but given the state of the duu saffron’s statement makes sense if the vision of Batgirl ultimately couldn’t or wouldn’t match the direction of the DCU then it would have caused more creative issues at the same time Batgirl could have still been released and served as another elseworlds movie which is now a big part of DC Studios while Grace’s bad girl film may never see the light of day the actress could always be brought into the DCU as the iconic heroine even if it were a new take on Batgirl it would still let Grace get a chance to take part in the superhero franchise Batgirl movie directors balala and Adel L arbi reveal their one condition to potentially returning and working with Warner Bros again after their film’s shocking cancellation the cancelled DC Comics film would have seen lesie G take on the role of Batgirl with JK Simmons and Michael Keaton reprising their roles of commissioner Jim Gordon and Batman Batgirl would have seen Grace’s hero face pyromaniac villain Firefly portrayed by Brendan Fraser but the film’s HBO Max release was cancelled following companywide restructurings due to the Warner Bros Discovery merger when reflecting on the ordeal of Batgirl’s unprecedented cancellation with th F and L arbi were asked whether they would work with Warner Bros on future DC Comics projects following James gun’s hiring to lead DC Studios Falla stated that while they would gladly work alongside the studio again and were willing to return to the world of DC they would only do so on the condition that their project is released unlike Batgirl’s unfortunate fate Batgirl’s sudden cancellation sent shock waves throughout the film industry it was reported that Warner Bros discovery’s decision came following test screenings of an early cut of the film where higher ups at the studio decided that it would not be worth the effort to increase the film’s budget to bring it in line with other DC movies amid cost cutting moves at the newly merged company industry voices including gun Katon and Kevin fa*ge reached out to both directors in support while Avengers and game director Joe Russo described Batgirl’s cancellation as a murder and motivated by corporate sociopathy in the aftermath secret screenings of the unfinished cut were held at the Warner Bros for the cast and crew but F and LR by were unable to attend nor were they able to recover footage before WB locked their servers however while FAA and L arai’s original Batgirl project may never see the light of day there may still be hope for Grace’s Batgirl in the future of the newly formed DC Studios upon Batgirl’s initial C cancellation Warner Bros emphasized how neither Grace nor fa and L arbi were responsible in a statement from the studio before expressing interest in reuniting with each party again for future collaborations gun was also one of the first voices to support the directors following the cancellation and with his recent appointment to lead the studio he may hope to give both directors another chance at bringing their and Grace’s version of Batgirl to life Batgirl’s sudden cancel ation was one of many unfortunate moves by Warner Bros Discovery following the merger between the studio and the network but it was the one which drew the most vocal backlash audiences and notable industry creatives including gun and Kevin Smith passionately reacted to Batgirl’s cancellation condemning zaslav and other Executives decision to put cost cutting measures ahead of the work that FAA L arai Grace and the rest of the film’s crew had dedicated themselves to however with both directors expressing their willingness to return provided their work would reach audiences and gun hoping to carve a new path for DC’s film future things could yet work out for all parties to create a successful production Batgirl the feature film adaptation of the DC Comics character has been killed at Warner Bros variety has confirmed it will not premiere on any platform at the studio neither theatrically nor on HBO Max the production starring lesle Grace as Barbara Gordon AKA Batgirl and directed by Bad Boys for life and Miss Marvel filmmakers Adel L arbi and Bal fala was greenlit in 2021 as part of a companywide effort at Warner Bros to create feature films specifically for HBO Max but the new corporate regime at Warner Bros Discovery has pivoted the company’s priorities back to theatrical features leaving that girl without a proper home also on the chopping block scoob holiday haunt a follow-up to the 2020 film scoo has been shelved by the studio footage for the animated adaptation of the scoobydoo series was showcased in a Sizzle re for HBO Max back in December 2021 sources indicate that the production had cost Warner Bros $40 million Studio insiders insist the decision to ax Batgirl was not driven by the quality of the film or the commitment of the filmmakers but by the desire for the Studio’s slate of DC features to be at a blockbuster scale Batgirl was budgeted to screen in homes on HBO Max and not for a major Global release in theaters the initial $75 million production budget for the project which finished principal photography earlier this year and was in post production reached $90 million due in part to covid related delays and protocols the decision still comes as a shock as Studios almost never shell Productions outright preferring to get at least some return on their investment it also comes as Warner Bros is still contending with what to do about the flash a DC adaptation created and budgeted specifically for theatrical release in 2023 the film has been utterly hamstrung by repeated allegations of abuse and misconduct by its star Ezra Miller and it’s not like Batgirl was a small movie either along with Grace JK Simmons plays Barbara’s father commissioner Jim Gordon and Michael Keaton reprises his role as Batman as he also does in the flash Brendan Frasier plays the villain Firefly and Grace told Variety in April that she had preliminary discussions with L arbi and Falla about what a sequel could be there’s crazy stuns crazy drops Grace said of the film she’s a biker chick so you’re going to see her do a bunch of Biser there were a lot of long days but it was so worth it the death of Batgirl on Tuesday sent immediate shock waves through Hollywood the film with a 75 million budget that grew to $90 million due to covid related overages had finished shooting months ago and was in test screenings as directors Adel L arbi and Bill alala bad boys for Life Miss Marvel worked through the post production process star lesie Grace in The Heights had given multiple interviews expressing her enthusiasm for landing the title role and working with co-stars Michael Keaton as Batman JK Simmons as her character’s father Commissioner Gordon and Brendan Fraser as the villain Firefly in other words the movie was nearly finished and already building awareness among fans why would Warner Bros Discovery throw all that that away according to sources with knowledge of the situation the most likely reason taxes several sources note that Batgirl was made under a different regime at Warner Bros headed by Jason killer and Anne Sarnoff that was singularly focused on building its streaming service HBO Max that effort included Killer’s Infamous decision to release the Studio’s entire 2021 theatrical slate simultaneously on the streamer which helped build the subscriber base but also jeopardized the Studio’s reputation with top tier Talent though many agents and stars privately came to appreciate the move when the company paid generous bonuses as a make mice even before David zaslav took the reign of the newly formed Warner Bros Discovery as CEO this spring the exec went on a well- publicized listening tour designed to repair the company’s relationship with the creative Community as part of that effort zaslav has has made no secret of reversing killer strategy and committing to releasing first run feature films in theaters before putting them on HBO Max Batgirl found itself on the bad end of that decision apparently neither big enough to feel worthy of a major theatrical release nor small enough to make economic sense in an increasingly Cutthroat streaming landscape spending the money to expand the scope of Batgirl for theaters plus the $30 million to $50 million needed to Market it domestically and the tens of millions more needed for a global rollout could have nearly doubled spending on the film and insiders say that was a nonstarter at a company newly focused on Belt tightening and the bottom line spokespeople for Warner Bros and Warner Bros Discovery declined to comment for this story releasing the movie on HBO Max would seem to be the most obvious solution instead the company has shelved Batgirl along with the scoo squl and several sources say it will almost certainly take a tax write down on both films seen internally as the most financially sound way to recoup the costs at least on an accountant’s Ledger it could justify that by chalking it up to a post merger change of strategy doing so however would mean that Warner Bros cannot monetize either movie no HBO Max debut no sale to another Studio what the decision will cost the studio in Creative Capital meanwhile remains to be seen the debate over Batgirl’s sudden and unexplainable cancellation rages on the film set in the DC extended Universe was shelv under new Warner Bros disc Discovery management due to poor test screening scores the cancellation raised several questions over wb’s management decisions their vision for the streaming business and the overall entertainment decision given that the film already had undergone primary production and had taken substantial investment the cancellation has drawn mixed responses from the fans in contrast the cast and crew of Batgirl have expressed their disappointment now through his podcast the town Matthew baloney has shed some light on potential plot details of Batgirl the film starring lesli Grace in the lead role was supposed to be a fresh origin story for the character the new details suggest that Batgirl could have been a raw comic book movie adaptation without metahuman elements thus going straight for the character’s Roots the details reveal how Brendan Fraser’s Firefly would have come into place the mob boss’s reference could have been about Jacob cio’s character called Anthony Bry the reference to Michelle Fifer’s mask from Batman Returns could have solidified Tim Burton’s film’s merger into the duu all these ideas seem like a good Collective approach to bringing the character of Barbara Gordon on screen furthermore the details of the film’s presence in the timeline could have clarified dcu’s future plans for Batman and as a franchise Batgirl was first announced as an HBO Max original with directors Adel arai and Bill alala attached to it the director Duo was supposed to work on the film after completing Marvel Studios Miss Marvel after lesie Grace was confirmed as the lead the film also signed signed Michael Keaton as Batman connecting the dots between Tim Burton’s Batman films and the DC extended Universe though not extensive Keaton’s role in the movie could supposedly have ended confusion on D’s timeline of events bringing consistency to the shared continuity in May 2016 the DC Comics character Barbara Gordon Batgirl had the potential to appear in a female superhero team up film starring Margaret Robbie as Harley Quinn 13 which became Birds of Prey 2020 Batgirl was ultimately not included in the film due to the development of a solo film starring the character 14 Jos wedon was hired in March 2017 to write direct and produce the solo film which was being overseen by Warner Bros pictures president Toby Emerich and DC films chairman John Berg and Jeff Johns 15 wedon was to begin production on the film in 2018 16 but left the project in February 2018 after being unable to come up with a story for it there was also additional scrutiny on wedon as a male director of a female focused film 17 with Warner Bros and new DC films president Walter Hamada planning at that point to replace wedon with a female filmmaker 18 Birds of Prey writer Christina Hodson was hired to write a new screenplay for Batgirl in April 2018 19 and was expected to begin writing the film after completing her work on another DC extended Universe DCU film The Flash 2023 20 in December 20120 bgirl was listed as a film that could potentially be released exclusively on the streaming service HBO Max rather than in theaters as part of Hamada’s new plan for the DCU 21 and in April 2021 it was included on DC’s slate of films that were expected to be released in 2022 or 2023 22 adult L arai and Bill alala who were both longtime fans of the character 23 were hired to direct the film a month later when it was confirmed to be planned as an HBO Max original Kristen Burr was producing the film by that time and said the directors were bringing an excited energy that would make the film a fun ride and show a different side of Gotham City from previous DC projects DC Executives began testing actresses for Batgirl in the week of July 19 2021 with the group reportedly including Isabella mered Zoe DCH lesie Grace and Haley Lou Richardson 25 Richardson and Grace were considered to be the top contenders 26 Richardson went through several stages of auditioning 27 but Grace was cast in the role on July 21st one by July 29th JK Simmons was in talks to reprise his role as Batgirl’s father Commissioner James Gordon from Justice League 2017 and its 2021 directors cut 28 Simmons was confirmed to be reprising his role for the film in October three Jacob cpio and Brendan Fraser joined the cast later in October 57 respectively as the mob boss Anthony Bry six and as the villain Firefly Fraser previously voiced Cliff Steel robotman in the DC Comics television series Doom Patrol seven though it was initially reported that Razer would portray the Garfield lind’s iteration he later clarified in July 2022 that he was playing the Ted Carson iteration with an original backstory not adapted from existing material eight the villain role was originally offered to Sylvester stalon who voiced king shark in the DCU film The Suicide Squad 2021 but things just didn’t work out 2930 also in October L arbi and Fala said the character Batman would appear in the film but declined to confirm if benol would reprise his role from previous DCU projects 31 in December Michael Keaton was revealed to be appearing in Batgirl reprising his role as Batman from the films Batman 1989 and Batman Returns 1992 nine Keaton had been expected to First reprise the role for the ducu in the flash prior to that film’s delay to 2023 32 Rebecca front Cory Johnson Ethan Kai and ivory aino also joined the cast 1 110 with aino playing Alia yo who was set to be the first major transgender character in a DC film principal photography began in Glasgow doubling for Gotham City on November 30th 2021 33 under the working title Cherry Hill 343 536 John mat serves as cinematographer 37 l arbi and FAA had arrived in in Glasgow on August 24th to prepare for filming and scouted locations with production designer Christopher glass Glasgow was previously used to depict Gotham City in the flash as well as the non DCU film The Batman 2022 3435 filming officially wrapped on March 31st 2022 38 in April 20122 arai and F exited Beverly Hills Cop Roman Ford to focus on Batgirl 39 following the merger between Warner Bros parent company Warner media with Discovery Inc to form Warner Bros Discovery wbd and the fall in stock prices for Netflix later that month Executives at Warner Bros were reportedly considering a switch for the film from a streaming release with a budget of around $70 million to a theatrical release with increased budget for post- production and a larger marketing push 40 the film was in post post- production by the time its release was cancelled in August 2022 41 with Martin Walsh serving as editor 42 it did not have completed visual effects and still required some scenes to be filmed te’s not every day a 90 million movie gets shelved but this might be one of those days according to several sources Warner Bros has decided to shove the nearly complete Batgirl movie starring lesie Grace Michael Keaton and Brendan Razer even after multiple Rees because apparently it’s so bad that it risks damaging the DC brand I have some doubts about this story and I suspect there’s a lot more going on here than just a bad movie first of all we all saw Wonder Woman 1984 right look don’t get in my mentions defending the duu and I promise I won’t go after the SN verse much but can we all acknowledge that Warner Bros has been putting out terrible movies for the better part of a decade how much damage can Batgirl possibly do to the brand when we’ve all seen Suicide Squad even the good ones like Shazam and birds of prey are barely passable something tells me black atom isn’t exactly going to set a high bar for superhero movies either if it really is that bad it sounds like something we all need to see Warner Bros reported reasons for shelving the film don’t really make sense the first Outlet to report it was was the right-wing site New York Post which claimed test screenings for the film went so poorly that the studio has opted to cut its losses other outlets like variety are reporting that it had nothing to do with quality but rather the Studio’s desire to only release Blockbuster scale movies Batgirl was budgeted for streaming not the theater and the new regime at WB only wants the world to see the biggest and best DC movies moving forward but this rationale barely tracks $90 million is on the lower end of duu budgets which typically range from $200 300 million but birds of prey and Shazam were both made for less than $100 million even if Batgirl was only ever intended to stream on HBO Max why not release it there the logic that WB only wants Blockbuster scale DC projects moving forward doesn’t check out when Peacemaker is already confirmed for a second season on HBO Max NB Warner Bros has never demonstrated having any kind of plan for the DCU before why take this Firm Stance against measly 90 million movies all of a sudden lower budget projects have also proven to be pretty good too so this idea of prestige sounds like a load of nonsense the answer I suspect has a lot more to do with the behind the scenes politics of this regime change than anything about the film or the Studio’s plan for the duu extending the franchise to HBO Max with films and shows was part of DC film’s president Walter Hamada’s plan to take on the maku but thanks to the pandemic multiple false starts including a Ben EOL directed version of the Batman the accusations made by Ray fiser that directly implicate Hamada and other DC execs and not to mention whatever the hell is going on with Ezra Miller and the Flash it wouldn’t be surprised if the new leadership wanted to distance itself from the Hamada era of the duu does that justify shelving a nearly complete film and saddling it and its creators with a reputation of being so bad it should never be seen obviously not I watched the new Tom and Jerry and Space Jam a new Legacy so I know what kind of junk WB is willing to dump on HBO Max Hollywood Insider Matthew baloney reveals more details about the poor reactions to DC’s cancelled Batgirl movie from someone who attended a test screening Warner Bros Discovery sent shock waves through Hollywood when they made the unprecedented decision to completely cancel the HBO Max release of Batgirl which had a reported budget of 90 million and had already finished filming and was well into post production Batgirl would have starred in The Heights breakout lle Grace as the titular heroin Oscar winner JK Simmons as Commissioner Gordon Brendan Fraser as the villain Firefly and Michael Keaton returning as Batman in the days since the news surfaced speculation has run rampant Regarding why the studio would cancel a nearly finished film Warner Bros released a statement saying the decision was motivated by a strategic shift Under New Management CEO David zaslav and had nothing to do with Grace’s performance in the film or the skills of the directing du behind the film Adel L arbi and Bill alala further reports claimed the decision to scrap Batgirl was due to a refocus on theatrical releases cost cutting measures and poor evaluations by test audiences on his podcast the town Hollywood Insider baloney revealed more details about Batgirls poor test screenings baloney detailed a discussion he had with someone who attended a test screening months ago after the screening the audience overwhelmingly agreed the film was not big enough to receive a theatrical release as it instead played like a TV pilot with low stakes the test screening attendee that balone spoke to also compared Batgirl to the box office bomb dark Phoenix despite reports to the contrary it seems like Warner Bros did consider a theatrical release for Batgirl if what baloney says is true the studio held numerous screenings in order to determine if it was worthy of a theatrical release but the consensus seems to have been that it was not the comparison to a TV pilot also makes sense since the Batgirl movie was produced for the streaming service HBO Max the comparison to dark Phoenix also does not reflect kindly on Batgirl the 2019 X-Men movie also tested poorly with audiences which resulted in the entire third act being reshot though this didn’t save it from becoming one of the biggest box office bombs of all time after determining Batgirl was not worthy of a theatrical release through test audiences Warner Bros Discovery decided it was not suitable for HBO Max either because its $90 million price tag was too expensive for streaming under Zas lov’s new standards thus the studio canceled Batgirl in order to receive tax writeoffs to help recoup the costs it’s certainly a devastating decision for everyone involved with the movie and anyone looking forward to seeing it Warner Bros faced controversy in summer 2022 when it acts a Batgirl feature film despite it being nearly finished but Peter saffron the new co-chairperson and CEO of DC Studios alongside James gun said it was the right decision at a press event on the Warner Bros lot on January 30th Batgirl is a character that inevitably we will include in our story he said on the Batgirl front it’s not about late in the process of the film getting cancelled I saw the movie and there are a lot of incredibly talented people in front of and behind the camera on that film but that film was not releasable and it happens sometimes that film was not releasable I actually think that president and CEO of Warner Bros Discovery David zaslav and the team made a very bold and courageous decision to cancel it because it would have hurt DC it would have hurt those people involved I think that they really stood up to support DC he continued the characters the story the quality of all of that I spoke to Adel L arbi and balala the directors last week we were chatting we’d love to be in business with all those folks Christina Hudson wrote it some people are already back in business with us as I said a lot of talented people were involved but the film just was not releasable it would not have been able to compete in the theatric Marketplace it was built for the small screen so again I think it was not an easy decision but they made the right decision by shelving it saffron and gun discussed many of DC studios’s upcoming projects at the Press event including future films television series and Anime Adventures the early Batgirl test screenings were not that bad according to a new report Warner Bros Discovery shocked the entertainment world with the announcement they were completely shelving Batgirl despite the movie having completed filming and spent approximately $90 million already it was set to Star lesie Grace and the Heights in the title role and also featured Brendan Fraser as the villain Firefly and Michael Keaton reprising his role as Batman quickly following the film’s cancellation rumors started to circulate about why Warner Bros Discovery would scrap a film they had already shot Warner Bros released a statement saying the movie just did not fit the New Direction the studio is taking with duu films and reports following the cancellation suggested the movie was considered a small scale story not fit for theaters but also too expensive for streaming on HBO Max despite this there began rumors that the movie was cancelled due to the Quality as Warner Bros didn’t want to release the film and risk harming the DCU brand however it appears that was not the case Cas and the negative reaction Batgirl supposedly received in test screenings might have been exaggerated in a report from th following the cancellation of Batgirl they point out that the studio did test one cut of Batgirl for an audience without completed VFX work and attemp score the movie reportedly tested in the’ 60s which while not a glowing score was also the same that it tested in 2017 and that film eventually went on to grow $71 million worldwide it is also worth noting that Batgirl tested the same as Shazam Fury of the Gods according to the same report which Warner Bros has not cancelled and is still set to release in theaters it also ignores the fact that Warner Bros Discovery also scrapped scoo holiday haunt which was reportedly very close to completion the fact that two HBO Max original movies were shelv indicates the reason has less to do with each film film’s quality and more to do with the Studio’s new prioritization of theatrical distribution and how much they are now willing to spend on streaming material even if Batgirl’s test was poor a superhero movie being lowquality has not stopped Studios from releasing them in the past Warner Bros has a history of releasing DC superhero movies such as Jonah Hex Green Lantern and 2016 Suicide Squad all of which were Savaged by critics Sony Pictures released morbius twice in theaters and that film received some of the worst reviews for any superhero movie released in the past 20 years in a world where 2015’s Fantastic Four and New Mutants can find release in theaters it feels hard to believe that Batgirl deserves to be kept Forever on the Shelf DC’s promotions for the impending Blue Beetle movie become more complicated after they accidentally promote the cancelled 90 million Batgirl movie movie Blue Beetle has a precarious place in the current buildup for the new DC Universe as while Jamie Rays is officially the first DCU hero Superman Legacy has been confirmed as the first DCU movie suggesting the events of Ray’s first appearance may very quickly be shown as not canon perhaps because of this complication the movie has been noted as having received little in the way of advertisem*nts or promotion making one instance that also accidentally features the since canell Batgirl movie receed more attention from audiences Twitter user cocor block noted this unfortunate setup after making a post intended to promote Blue Beetle as fans have been using the # Blue Beetle Battalion to try and bolster the DC movies hype and ensure prospective viewers are aware of the film and its passionate fan base afterward it became clear the promotion for Blue Beetle also contained a promotion for Batgirl as the sins cut movies logo was one of several in a section labeled check out all of the DC films coming soon given the fact that Batgirl is by no means coming soon and seemingly will never be given there are no intentions to show the movie’s footage to the public this detail drew some notable scorn though the explanation as to how and why this happened is relatively mundane while it might seem bizarre that an installment coming out sometime after the cut Batgirl movie was officially taken off release schedules still has promotion for the film on its merchandise the comic stand itself was seemingly made before the announcements came out as it contains advertisem*nts for some already released DC movies such as the Batman the likely scenario is that the Blue Beetle part of the stand was either provided to stores as an add-on for the pre-existing comic stands or were sent to them way before Batgirl was cancelled creating an unfortunate Ode to the comp ated history of DC’s recent movie landscape though the situation seems relatively straightforward it does also inadvertently hit on some bigger problems namely regarding the comparative lack of promotion regarding Blue Beetle itself with less active advertising to Hype fans have instead taken to promoting the movie however they can themselves often in creative ways as such the reaction to the Blue Beetle merchandise seemingly promoting the already cancelled Batgirl strikes a chord where it may not have otherwise as a reminder of the treatment that some movies can face Batgirl star lesli Grace opens up about the less than ideal way she found out the movie had been cancelled and praises the work done on the film by cast and crew the Batgirl movie was one of the victims of Warner Bros Discovery CEO David zov’s plan of recouping monetary losses through making movies and TV shows tax write offs Batgirl being cancelled was shocking since the movie had completed production but it appears even the star was among those surprised by the news speaking with variety Grace revealed she was not warned about Batgirl’s cancellation before it became public and defended the cut of the film she saw wb’s cancellation of Batgirl was first announced by the New York Post with Grace being among those shocked by the report the actress went on to reveal she asked to see a screening of the film as it stood at the moment of its cancellation at the start of the editing stage and she thought it was incredible the cancellation of the Batgirl movie doomed a number of interesting aspects of the film from likely ever seeing the light of day as DC starts moving to a new chapter of its Universe through new DC Studios coio James gun and Peter saffron the Batgirl movie could still be eligible for release even with its tax write-off status however it is unlikely the new DC boss would go back on the decision and cause friction with zaslav especially since saffron recently agreed with Batgirl’s cancellation calling the movie not releasable there is also a major argument as to why Batgirl needs to stay in the past and it pertains to the movies Batman Grace’s Batgirl would have been joined in the movie by Michael Keaton’s Batman who had been speculated to train her throughout the movie Keaton’s role would have been part of a larger story for his character with Keaton’s Batman from the 1989 movie originally reported to take over as the main duu Batman from Ben EOL Batgirl being cancelled heavily diminished Keaton’s future as Batman which appears to be contained to The Flash and a possible appearance in Aquaman and the lost kingdom following the announcement of DC universes the Brave and the Bold Batgirl would also have featured Brendan Fraser as Firefly in a performance that has been praised by both cast and crew Fraser’s role in the DC series Doom Patrol shows how much he can shine in the world of DC Comics which makes the loss of his Firefly performance saddening the Batgirl movie’s cancellation also cemented JK Simmons waist as Jim Gordon following a single onscreen appearance in 2017’s Justice League Peter saffron one of the new bosses for the DC Universe argues that the canceled Batgirl movie was unreleasable while the DCU has been facing a lot of challenges Warner Bros Discovery is going in a New Direction Through the launch of DC Studios saffrin and James gun were hired as the Coos for the new studio as they are taking charge of the DCU however the DC brand has been going through a lot of drama in the Press over the last few months the biggest controversy in 2022 was the sudden cancellation of Batgirl with lesie Grace supposed to play Barbara Gordon during a recent press event via the rap saffron opened up about Warner Bros discovery’s decision to cancel the Batgirl movie despite having finished principal photography Batgirl was scrapped by the studio and it’s a call that saffron is supporting the DC Studios boss felt that in the end there was no way to release Batgirl feeling that it wouldn’t be able to compete in the theatrical Marketplace the Batgirl cancellation has continued to be one of the most controversial moves moves in Hollywood for quite some time having a film that finished principal photography get a is highly unusual the decision from the studio was primarily due to the massive budget cuts that they had to make after the merger Batgirl’s axing was the result of Warner Bros Discovery taking it for tax write Downs as far as saffron’s comments go it’s hard to say what Batgirl’s end result would have been because everything is hypothetical even though it was an HBO Max movie the service is now available in most countries worldwide that means there could have been a potential success for Batgirl had it been released as planned since the public has only seen brief glimpses of Batgirl through behind the scenes videos and images there is not a clear picture of what the end product would have looked like depending on how much saffron saw of the post- production work on the film it’s hard to determine whether or not Batgirl would have hurt the DCU but given the state of the duu saffron’s statement makes sense if the vision of Batgirl ultimately couldn’t or wouldn’t match the direction of the DCU then it would have caused more creative issues at the same time Batgirl could have still been released and served as another elor’s movie which is now a big part of DC Studios while Grace’s Batgirl film may never see the light of day the actress could always be brought into the DCU as the iconic heroine even if it were a new take on Batgirl it would still let Grace get a chance to take part in the superhero franchise Batgirl movie directors Bill alala and Adel L arbi reveal their one condition to potentially returning and working with Warner Bros again after their film’s shocking cancellation the cancelled DC Comics film would have seen lesie Grace take on the role of Batgirl with JK Simmons and Michael Keaton reprising their roles of commissioner Jim Gordon and Batman girl would have seen Grace’s hero face pyromaniac villain Firefly portrayed by Brendan Fraser but the film’s HBO Max release was cancelled following companywide restructurings due to the Warner Bros Discovery merger when reflecting on the ordeal of Batgirl’s unprecedented cancellation with th fala and L arbi were asked whether they would work with Warner Bros on future DC Comics projects following James gun’s hiring to lead DC Studios F stated that while they would gladly work alongside the studio again and were willing to return to the world of DC they would only do so on the condition that their project is released unlike Batgirl’s unfortunate fate Batgirl’s sudden cancellation sent shock waves throughout the film industry it was reported that Warner Bros discovery’s decision came following test screenings of an early cut of the film where higher-ups at the studio decided that it would not be worth the effort to increase the film’s budget to bring it in line with other DC movies amid cost cutting moves at the newly merged company industry voices including gun Katon and Kevin fa*ge reached out to both directors in support while Avengers and game director Joe Russo described Batgirl’s cancellation as a murder and motivated by corporate sociopathy in the aftermath secret screenings of the unfinished cut were held at the Warner Bros for the cast and crew but F and LR by were unable to attend nor were they able to recover footage before WB locked their servers however while FAA and L arai’s original Batgirl project may never see the light of day there may still be hope for Grace’s Batgirl in the future of the newly formed DC Studios upon Batgirl’s initial cancellation Warner Bros emphasized how neither Grace nor fa and L arbi were responsible in a statement from the studio with before expressing interest in reuniting with each party again for future collaborations gun was also one of the first voices to support the directors following the cancellation and with his recent appointment to lead the studio he may hope to give both directors another chance at bringing their and Grace’s version of Batgirl to life Batgirl’s sudden cancellation was one of many unfortunate moves by Warner Bros Discovery following the merger between the studio and the network but it was the one which drew the most vocal backlash audiences and notable industry creatives including gun and Kevin Smith passionately reacted to Batgirl’s cancellation condemning zaslav and other Executives decision to put cost cutting measures ahead of the work that Falla L arai Grace and the rest of the film’s crew had dedicated themselves to however with both directors expressing their willingness to return provided their work would reach audiences and gun hoping to carve in New Path for DC’s film future things could yet work out for all parties to create a successful production Batgirl the feature film adaptation of the DC Comics character has been killed at Warner Bros variety has confirmed it will not premiere on any platform at the studio neither theatrically nor on HBO Max the production starring lesle Grace as Barbara Gordon AKA Batgirl and directed by Bad Boys for life and Miss Marvel filmmakers Adel L arbi and B alala was greenlit in 2021 as part of a companywide effort at Warner Bros to create feature films specifically for HBO Max but the new corporate regime at Warner Bros Discovery has pivoted the company’s priorities back to theatrical features leaving that girl without a proper home also on the chopping block scoob holiday haunt a follow-up to the 2020 film scoob has been shelved by the studio footage for the animated adaptation of the Scooby-Doo series was showcased in a Sizzle reel for HBO Max back in December 2021 sources indicate that the production had cost Warner Bros $40 million Studio insiders insist the decision to axe Batgirl was not driven by the quality of the film or the commitment of the filmmakers but by the desire for the Studio’s slate of DC features to be at a Blockbuster scale Batgirl was budgeted to screen in homes on HBO Max and not for a major Global release in theaters the initial $75 million production budget for the project which finished principal photography earlier this year and was in post- production reached $90 million due in part to covid related delays and protocols the decision still comes as a shock as Studios almost never shell Productions outright preferring to get get at least some return on their investment it also comes as Warner Bros is still contending with what to do about the flash a DC adaptation created and budgeted specifically for theatrical release in 2023 the film has been utterly hamstrung by repeated allegations of abuse and misconduct by its star Ezra Miller and it’s not like Batgirl was a small movie either along with Grace JK Simmons plays Barbara’s father commissioner Jim Gordon and Michael Keaton reprises his role as Batman as he also does in the flash Brendan Fraser plays the villain Firefly and Grace told Variety in April that she had preliminary discussions with L arai and FAA about what a sequel could be there’s crazy stuns crazy drops Grace said of the film she’s a biker chick so you’re going to see her do a bunch of Biser there were a lot of long days but it was so worth it the death of Batgirl on Tuesday sent immediate shock waves through Hollywood the film with a $75 million budget that grew to $90 million due to covid related overages had finished shooting months ago and was in test screenings as directors Adel L arbi and B alala bad boys for Life Miss Marvel worked through the post- production process star lesie Grace in The Heights had given multiple interviews expressing her enthusiasm for landing the title role and working with co-stars Michael Keaton as Batman JK Simmons as her character’s father Commissioner Gordon and Brendan Fraser as the villain Firefly in other words the movie was nearly finished and already building awareness among fans why would Warner Bros Discovery throw all that away according to sources with knowledge of the situation the most likely reason taxes several sources note that Batgirl was made under a different regime at Warner Bros headed by Jason killer and Ann Sarnoff that was singularly focused on building its streaming service HBO Max that effort included Killer’s Infamous decision to release the Studio’s entire 2021 theatrical slate simultaneously on the streamer which helped build the subscriber base but also jeopardized the Studio’s reputation with top tier Talent though many agents and stars privately came to appre apprciate the move when the company paid generous bonuses as a make nice even before David zaslov took the Reigns of the newly formed Warner Bros Discovery as CEO this spring the exec went on a wellp publicized listening tour designed to repair the company’s relationship with the creative Community as part of that effort zaslav has made no secret of reversing killer strategy and committing to releasing first run feature films in theaters before putting them on HBO Max Batgirl found itself on the bad end of that decision apparently neither big enough to feel worthy of a major theatrical release nor small enough to make economic sense in an increasingly Cutthroat streaming landscape spending the money to expand the scope of Batgirl for theaters plus the $30 million to $50 million needed to Market it domestically and the tens of millions more needed for a global rollout could have nearly doubled spending on the film and in iders say that was a non-starter at a company newly focused on Belt tightening and the bottom line spokespeople for Warner Bros and Warner Bros Discovery declined to comment for this story releasing the movie on HBO Max would seem to be the most obvious solution instead the company has shelved Batgirl along with the scoob squel and several sources say it will almost certainly take aack write down on both films seen internally as the most most financially sound way to recoup the costs at least on an accountant’s Ledger it could justify that by chalking it up to a post merger change of strategy doing so however would mean that Warner Bros cannot monetize either movie no HBO Max debut no sale to another Studio what the decision will cost the studio in Creative Capital meanwhile remains to be seen the debate over Batgirl’s sudden and unexplainable cancell a rages on the film set in the DC extended Universe was sheld under new Warner Bros Discovery management due to poor test screening scores the cancellation raised several questions over wbds management decisions their vision for the streaming business and the overall entertainment decision given that the film already had undergone primary production and had taken substantial investment the cancellation has drawn mixed responses from the fans in contrast the cast and crew of Batgirl have expressed their disappointment now through his podcast the town Matthew baloney has shed some light on potential plot details of Batgirl the film starring lesli Grace in the lead role was supposed to be a fresh origin story for the character the new details suggest that Batgirl could have been a raw comic book movie adaptation without metahuman elements thus going straight for the character’s roots the details reveal how Brendan Fraser’s Firefly would have come into place the mob boss’s reference could have been about Jacob cio’s character called Anthony Bry the reference to Michelle Fifer’s mask from Batman Returns could have solidified Tim Burton’s film’s merger into the duu all these ideas seem like a good Collective approach to bringing the character of Barbara Gordon on screen furthermore the details of the film’s presence in the timeline could have clarified DC ‘s future plans for Batman and as a franchise Batgirl was first announced as an HBO Max original with directors Adel arai and Bill alala attached to it the director Duo was supposed to work on the film after completing Marvel Studios Miss Marvel after lesie Grace was confirmed as the lead the film also signed Michael Keaton as Batman connecting the dots between Tim Burton’s Batman films and the DC extended Universe though not extensive Keaton’s role in the movie could supposedly have ended confusion on dcu’s timeline of events bringing consistency to the shared continuity in May 2016 the DC Comics character Barbara Gordon Batgirl had the potential to appear in a female superhero team up film starring Margaret Robbie as Harley Quinn 13 which became Birds of Prey 2020 Batgirl was ultimately not included in the film due to the development of a solo film starring the character 14 Jos wedon was hired in March 2017 to write direct and produce the solo film which was being overseen by Warner Bros pictures president Toby Emerich and DC films chairman John Berg and Jeff Johns 15 wedon was to begin production on the film in 2018 16 but left the project in February 2018 after being unable to come up with a story for it there was also additional scrutiny on wedon as a male director of a a female focused film 17 with Warner Bros and new DC films president Walter Hamada planning at that point to replace wedon with a female filmmaker 18 Birds of Prey writer Christina Hodson was hired to write a new screenplay for Batgirl in April 2018 19 and was expected to begin writing the film after completing her work on another DC extended Universe DCU film The Flash 2023 20 in December 2020 Batgirl was listed as a film that could potentially be released exclusively on the streaming service HBO Max rather than in theaters as part of Hamada’s new plan for the duu 21 and in April 2021 it was included on DC’s slate of films that were expected to be released in 2022 or 2023 22 Adel L arbi and B alala who were both longtime fans of the character 23 were hired to direct the film a month later when it was confirmed to be planned as an HBO Max original Kristen Burr was producing the film by that time and said the directors were bringing an excited energy that would make the film a fun ride and show a different side of Gotham City from previous DC projects DC Executives began testing actresses for Batgirl in the week of July 19th 2021 with the group reportedly including Isabella mered Zoe DCH lesie Grace and Haley Lou Richardson 25 Richardson and Grace were considered to be the top contenders 26 Richardson went through several stages of auditioning 27 but Grace was cast in the role on July 21st won by July 29th JK Simmons was in talks to reprise his role as Batgirl’s father Commissioner James Gordon from Justice League 2017 and its 2021 director’s cut 28 Simmons was confirmed to be reprising his role for the film in October three Jacob cpio and Brendan Fraser joined the cast later in October 57 respectively as the mob boss Anthony Bry 6 and as the villain Firefly Fraser previously voiced Cliff Steel robotman in the DC Comics television series Doom Patrol seven though it was initially reported that Fraser would portray the Garfield Lyn’s iteration he later clarified in July 2022 that he was playing the Ted Carson iteration with an original backstory not adapted from existing material eight the villain role was originally offered to Sylvester Stallone who voiced king shark in the DCU film The Suicide Squad 2021 but things just didn’t work out 2930 also in October L arbi and FAA said the character Batman would appear in the film but declined to confirm if benol would reprise his role from previous DCU projects 31 in December Michael Keaton was revealed to be appearing in Batgirl reprising his role as Batman from the films Batman 1989 and Batman Returns 1992 nine Keaton had been expected to First reprise the role for the DCU in the flash prior to that film’s delay to 2023 32 Rebecca front Corey Johnson Ethan Kai and ivory aino also join the cast 1 110 with a Kino playing Alia yo who was set to be the first major transgender character in a DC film principal photography began in Glasgow doubling for Gotham City on November 30th 2021 33 under the working title Cherry Hill 343 536 John math serves as cinematographer 37l arbi and FAA had arrived in Glasgow on August 24th to prepare for filming and scouted locations with production designer Christopher glass Glasgow was previously used to depict Gotham City in the flash as well as the non DCU film The Batman 2022 3D 435 filming officially wrapped on March 31st 2022 38 in April 2022 arai and F exited Beverly Hills Cop Roman 4D to focus on Batgirl 39 following the merger between Warner Bros parent company Warner media with Discovery Inc to form Warner Bros Discovery wbd and the fall in stock prices for Netflix later that month Executives at Warner Bros were reportedly considering a switch for the film from a streaming release with a budget of around $70 million to a theatrical release with increased budget for post- production and a larger marketing push 40 the film was in post- production by the time its release was cancelled in August 2022 41 with Martin Walsh serving as editor 42 is did not have completed visual effects and still required some scenes to be filmed te’s not everyday a 90 million movie gets shelved but this might be one of those days according to several sources Warner Bros has decided to Shell the nearly complete Batgirl movie starring lesie Grace Michael Keaton and Brendan Fraser even after multiple re shoots because apparently it’s so bad that it risks damaging the DC brand I have some doubts about this story and I suspect there’s a lot more going on here than just a bad movie first of all we all saw Wonder Woman 1984 WR look don’t get in my mentions defending the DCU and I promise I won’t go after the SN verse much but can we all acknowledge that Warner Bros has been putting out terrible movies for the better part of a decade how much damage can Batgirl possibly do to the brand when we’ve all seen Suicide Squad even the good ones like Shazam and birds of prey are barely passable something tells me black atom isn’t exactly going to set a high bar for super hero movies either if it really is that bad it sounds like something we all need to see Warner Bros reported reasons for shelving the film don’t really make sense the first Outlet to report it was the right-wing sight New York Post which claimed test screenings for the film went so poorly that the studio has opted to cut its losses other outlets like variety are reporting that it had nothing to do with quality but rather the Studio’s desire to only release Blockbuster scale movies Batgirl was budgeted for streaming not the theater and the new regime at WB only wants the world to see the biggest and best DC movies moving forward but this rationale barely tracks 90 million is on the lower end of DCU budgets which typically range from $200 $3 100 million but birds of prey and Shazam were both made for less than $100 million even if Batgirl was only ever intended to stream on HBO Max why not release it there the logic that WB only wants Blockbuster scale DC projects moving forward doesn’t check out when Peacemaker is already confirmed for a second season on HBO Max and B Warner Bros has never demonstrated having any kind of plan for the D you before why take this Firm Stance against measly $90 million movies all of a sudden lower budget projects have also proven to be pretty good too so this idea of prestige sounds like a load of nonsense the answer I suspect has a lot more to do with the behindth scenes politics of this regime change than anything about the film or the Studio’s plan for the DC extending the franchise to HBO Max with films and shows was part of DC films president Walter Hamada’s plan to take on the maku but thanks to the pandemic multiple false starts including a Ben ful directed version of the Batman the accusations made by Ray fiser that directly implicate Hamada and other DC execs and not to mention whatever the hell is going on with Ezra Miller and the Flash it wouldn’t be surprising if the new leadership wanted to distance itself from the Hamada era of the duu does that justify shelving a nearly complete film and saddle it and its creators with a reputation of being so bad it should never be seen obviously not I watched the new Tom and Jerry and Space Jam a new Legacy so I know what kind of junk WB is willing to dump on HBO Max Hollywood Insider Matthew balone reveals more details about the poor reactions to DC’s canceled Batgirl movie from someone who attended a test screening Warner Bros Discovery sent shock waves through Hollywood when they made made the unprecedented decision to completely cancel the HBO Max release of Batgirl which had a reported budget of $90 million and had already finished filming and was well into post- production Batgirl would have starred in The Heights breakout lesli Grace as the titular heroine Oscar winter JK Simmons as Commissioner Gordon Brendan Fraser as the villain Firefly and Michael Keaton returning as Batman in the days since the news surfaced speculation has rough un rampant Regarding why the studio would cancel a nearly finished film Warner Bros released a statement saying the decision was motivated by a strategic shift Under New Management CEO David zaslav and had nothing to do with Grace’s performance in the film or the skills of the directing du behind the film Adel L arbi and Bill alala further reports claimed the decision to scrap Batgirl was due to a refocus on theatrical releases cost cutting measur and poor evaluations by test audiences on his podcast the town Hollywood Insider baloney revealed more details about Batgirl’s poor test screenings baloney detailed a discussion he had with someone who attended a test screening months ago after the screening the audience overwhelmingly agreed the film was not big enough to receive a theatrical release as it instead played like a TV pilot with low stakes the test screening attendee that balone spoke to also compared Batgirl to the box office bomb dark Phoenix despite reports to the contrary it seems like Warner Bros did consider a theatrical release for Batgirl if what balone says is true the studio held numerous screenings in order to determine if it was worthy of a theatrical release but the consensus seems to have been that it was not the comparison to a TV pilot also makes sense since the Batgirl movie was produced for the streaming service HBO Max the comparison to dark Phoenix also does not reflect kindly on Batgirl the 2019 X-Men movie also tested poorly with audiences which resulted in the entire third act being reshot though this didn’t save it from becoming one of the biggest box office bombs of all time after determining Batgirl was not worthy of a theatrical release through test audiences Warner Bros Discovery decided it was not suitable for HBO Max either because its $90 million price tag was too expensive for streaming under Zas lov’s new standards thus the studio canceled Batgirl in order to receive tax write offs to help recoup the costs it’s certainly a devastating decision for everyone involved with the movie and anyone looking forward to seeing it Warner Bros faced controversy in summer 2022 when it acts a Batgirl feature film despite it being nearly finished but Peter saffron the new co-chairperson and CEO of DC Studios alongside James gun said it was the right decision at a press event on the Warner Bros lot on January 30th Batgirl is a character that inevitably we will include in our story he said on the Batgirl front it’s not about late in the process of the film getting cancelled I saw the movie and there are a lot of incredibly talented people in front of and behind the camera on that film but that film was not releasable and it happens sometimes that film was not releasable I actually think that president and CEO of Warner Bros Discovery David zaslav and the team made a very bold and courageous decision to cancel it because it would have hurt DC it would have hurt those people involved I think that they really stood up to support DC he continued the characters the story the quality of all of that I spoke to Adel L RB and B alala the directors last week we were chatting we’d love to be in business with all those folks Christina Hudson wrote it some people are already back in business with us as I said a lot of talented people were involved but the film just was not releasable it would not have been able to compete in the theatrical Marketplace it was built for the small screen so again I think it was not an easy decision but they made the right decision by shelving it saffron and gun discussed many of DC studios’s upcoming projects at the Press event including future films television series and Anime Adventures the early Batgirl test screenings were not that bad according to a new report Warner Bros Discovery shocked the entertainment world with the announcement they were completely shelving Batgirl despite the movie having completed filming and spent approximately $90 million already it was was set to Star lesli Grace and the Heights in the title role and also featured Brendan Fraser as the villain Firefly and Michael Keaton reprising his role as Batman quickly following the film’s cancellation rumors started to circulate about why Warner Bros Discovery would scrap a film they had already shot Warner Bros released a statement saying the movie just did not fit the New Direction the studio is taking with duu films and reports following the cancellations suggested the movie was considered a small scale story not fit for theaters but also too expensive for streaming on HBO Max despite this there began rumors that the movie was canceled due to the Quality as Warner Bros didn’t want to release the film and risk harming the DCU brand however it appears that was not the case and the negative reaction Batgirl supposedly received in test screenings might have been exaggerated in a report from th following the cancellation of Batgirl they point out that the studio did test one cut of Batgirl for an audience without completed VFX work and attempt score the movie reportedly tested in the’ 60s which while not a glowing score was also the same that it tested in 2017 and that film eventually went on to grow $71 million worldwide it is also worth noting that Batgirl tested the same as Shazam Fury of the Gods according to the same report which Warner Bros has not cancelled and is still set to release in theaters it also ignores the fact that Warner Bros Discovery also scraps scoo holiday haunt which was reportedly very close to completion the fact that two HBO Max original movies were sheld indicates the reason has less to do with each film’s quality and more to do with the studios’s new prioritization of theatrical distribution and how much they are now willing to spend on streaming material even if Batgirl’s test was poor a superhero movie being lowquality has not stopped Studios from releasing them in the past Warner Bros has a history of releasing DC superhero movies such as Jonah Hex Green Lantern and 2016 Suicide Squad all of which were Savaged by critics Sony Pictures released morbius twice in theaters and that film received some of the worst reviews for any superhero movie released in the past 20 years in a world where 2015’s Fantastic 4 and New Mutants can find release in theaters it feels hard to believe that Batgirl deserves to be kept Forever on the Shelf DC’s promotions for the impending Blue Beetle movie become more complicated after they accidentally promote the canceled $90 million Batgirl movie Blue Beetle has a precarious place in the current buildup for the new DC Universe as while Jamie Rays is officially the first DC hero Superman Legacy has been confirmed as the first DCU movie suggesting the events of Ray’s first appearance may very quickly be shown as not canon perhaps because of this complication the movie has been noted as having received little in the way of advertisem*nts or promotion making one instance that also accidentally features the since canell Batgirl movie received more attention from audiences Twitter user cocor block noted this unfortunate its setup after making a post intended to promote Blue Beetle as fans have been using the # Blue Beetle Battalion to try and bolster the DC movies hype and ensure prospective viewers are aware of the film and its passionate fan base afterward it became clear the promotion for Blue Beetle also contained a promotion for Batgirl as the since cut movies logo was one of several in a section labeled check out all of the DC films coming soon given the fact fact that Batgirl is by no means coming soon and seemingly will never be given there are no intentions to show the movie’s footage to the public this detail drew some notable scorn though the explanation as to how and why this happened is relatively mundane while it might seem bizarre that an installment coming out sometime after the cut Batgirl movie was officially taken off release schedules still has promotion for the film on its merchandise the comic stand itself was seemingly made before the announcements came out as it contains advertisem*nts for some already released DC movies such as the Batman the likely scenario is that the Blue Beetle part of the stand was either provided to stores as an add-on for the pre-existing comic stands or were sent to them way before Batgirl was cancelled creating an unfortunate Ode to the complicated history of DC’s recent movie landscape though the situation seems relatively straightforward it does also inadvertently hit on some bigger problems mainly regarding the comparative lack of promotion regarding Blue Beetle itself with less active advertising to Hype fans have instead taken to promoting the movie however they can themselves often in creative ways as such the reaction to the Blue Beetle merchandise seemingly promoting the already canell Batgirl strikes a chord where it may not have otherwise as a reminder of the treatment that some movies can face Batgirl star lesie Grace opens up up about the less than ideal way she found out the movie had been cancelled and praises the work done on the film by cast and crew the Batgirl movie was one of the victims of Warner Bros Discovery CEO David zov’s plan of recouping monetary losses through making movies and TV shows tax write offs Batgirl being cancelled was shocking since the movie had completed production but it appears even the star was among those surprised by the news speaking with VAR Grace revealed she was not warned about Batgirl’s cancellation before it became public and defended the cut of the film she saw wb’s cancellation of Batgirl was first announced by the New York Post with Grace being among those shocked by the report the actress went on to reveal she asked to see a screening of the film as it stood at the moment of its cancellation at the start of the editing stage and she thought it was incredible the cancellation of the Batgirl movie doomed a number of interesting aspects of the film from likely ever seeing the light of day as DC starts moving to a new chapter of its Universe through new DC Studios coio James gun and Peter saffron the Batgirl movie could still be eligible for release even with its tax write-off status however it is unlikely the new DC bosses would go back on the decision and cause friction with zaslav especially since saffron recently agreed with Batgirl’s cancellation calling them the movie not releasable there is also a major argument as to why Batgirl needs to stay in the past and it pertains to the movies Batman Grace’s Batgirl would have been joined in the movie by Michael Keaton’s Batman who had been speculated to train her throughout the movie Keaton’s role would have been part of a larger story for his character with Keaton’s Batman from the 1989 movie originally reported to take over as the main duu Batman from Ben eul Batgirl being cancelled heavily diminished Keaton’s future as Batman which appears to be contained to The Flash and a possible appearance in Aquaman and the lost kingdom following the announcement of DC universes the Brave and the Bold Batgirl would also have featured Brendan Fraser as Firefly in a performance that has been praised by both cast and crew Fraser’s role in the DC series Doom Patrol shows how much he can shine in the world of DC Comics which makes the loss of his fire fly performance saddening the Batgirl movie’s cancellation also cemented JK Simmons waist as Jim Gordon following a single onscreen appearance in 2017’s Justice League Peter saffron one of the new bosses for the DC Universe argues that the canceled Batgirl movie was unreleasable while the DCU has been facing a lot of challenges Warner Bros Discovery is going in a New Direction Through the launch of DC Studios saffron and Jane gun were hired as the Coos for the new studio as they are taking charge of the DCU however the DC brand has been going through a lot of drama in the Press over the last few months the biggest controversy in 2022 was the sudden cancellation of Batgirl with lesli Grace supposed to play Barbara Gordon during a recent press event via the rap saffron opened up about Warner Bros discovery’s decision to cancel the Batgirl movie despite having finished principal photography Batgirl was scrapped by the studio and it’s a call that saffron is supporting the DC Studio’s boss felt that in the end there was no way to release Batgirl feeling that it wouldn’t be able to compete in the theatrical Market Place the Batgirl cancellation has continued to be one of the most controversial moves in Hollywood for quite some time having a film that finished principal photography get ax is highly unusual the decision from the Studio was primarily due to the massive budget cuts that they had to make after the merger Batgirl’s axing was the result of Warner Bros Discovery taking it for tax write Downs as far as saffron’s comments go it’s hard to say what Batgirl’s end result would have been because everything is hypothetical even though it was an HBO Max movie the service is now available in most countries worldwide that means there could have been a potential success for Batgirl had it been released as planned since the public has only seen brief glimpses of Batgirl through behind the scenes videos and images there is not a clear picture of what the end product would have looked like depending on how much saffron saw of the post- production work on the film it’s hard to determine whether or not Batgirl would have hurt the DCU but given the state of the DCU saffron’s statement makes sense if the vision of Batgirl ultimately couldn’t or wouldn’t match the direction of the DCU then it would have caused more creative issues at the same time Batgirl could have still been released and served as another elor’s movie which is now a big part of DC Studios while Grace’s badgirl film may never see the light of day the actress could always be brought into the DCU as the iconic heroine even if it were a new take- on Batgirl it would still let Grace get a chance to take part in the superhero franchise Batgirl movie directors bill alala and Adel L arbi reveal their one condition to potentially returning and working with Warner Bros again after their films shocking cancellation the cancell DC Comics film would have seen lesie Grace take on the role of Batgirl with JK Simmons and Michael Keaton reprising their roles of commissioner Jim Gordon and Batman Batgirl would have seen Grace’s hero face pyromaniac villain Firefly portrayed by Brendan Fraser but the film’s HBO Max release was canceled following companywide restructurings due to the Warner Bros Discovery merger when reflecting on the ordeal of Batgirl’s unprecedented cancellation with th F and L arbi were asked whether they would work with Warner Bros on future DC Comics projects following James gun’s hiring to lead DC Studios F stated that while they would gladly work alongside the studio again and were willing to return to the world of DC they would only do though on the condition that their project is released unlike Batgirl’s unfortunate fate Batgirl’s sudden cancellation sent shock waves throughout the film industry it was reported that Warner Bros discovery’s decision came following test screenings of an early cut of the film where higher-ups at the studio decided that it would not be worth the effort to increase the film’s budget to bring it in line with other DC movies amid cost cutting moves at the newly merged company industry voice including gun Katon and Kevin fa*ge reached out to both directors in support while Avengers and game director Joe Russo described Batgirl’s cancellation as a murder and motivated by corporate sociopathy in the aftermath secret screenings of the unfinished cut were held at the Warner Bros for the cast and crew but F and lrb were unable to attend nor were they able to recover footage before WB locked their servers however while FAA and L arai’s original Batgirl project may never see the light of day there may still be hope for Grace’s Batgirl in the future of the newly formed DC Studios upon Batgirl’s initial cancellation Warner Bros emphasized how neither Grace nor fa and L arbi were responsible in a statement from the studio before expressing interest in reuniting with each party again for future collaborations gun was also one of the first voices to support the director following the cancellation and with his recent appointment to lead the studio he may hope to give both directors another chance at bringing there and Grace’s version of Batgirl to life Batgirl’s sudden cancellation was one of many unfortunate moves by Warner Bros Discovery following the merger between the studio and the network but it was the one which drew the most vocal backlash audiences and notable industry creatives including gun and Kevin Smith passionately reacted to Batgirl’s cancellation condemning zaslav and other Executives decision to put cost cutting measures ahead of the work that f l arai Grace and the rest of the film’s crew had dedicated themselves to however with both directors expressing their willingness to return provided their work would reach audiences and gun hoping to carve a new path for DC’s film future things could yet work out for all parties to create a successful production Batgirl the feature film adaptation of the DC Comics character has been killed at Warner Bros variety has confirmed it will not premiere on any platform at the studio neither theatrically nor on HBO Max the production starring lesie Grace as Barbara Gordon akab Batgirl and directed by Bad Boys for life and Miss Marvel filmmakers Adel L RBI and Bal fala was greenlit in 2021 as part of a companywide effort at Warner Bros to create feature films specifically for HBO Max but the new corporate regime at Warner Bros Discovery has pivoted the company’s priorities back to theatrical features leaving that girl without a proper home also on the chopping block scoo holiday haunt a follow-up to the 2020 film scoob has been shelved by the studio footage for the animated adaptation of the Scooby-Doo series was showcased in a Sizzle reel for HBO Max back in December 2021 sources indicate that the production had cost Warner Bros $40 million Studio insiders insist the decision to ax Batgirl was not driven by the quality of the film or the commitment of the filmmakers but by the desire for the Studio’s slate of DC features to be at a blockbuster scale Batgirl was budgeted to screen in homes on HBO Max and not for a major Global release in theaters the initial $75 million production budget for the project which finished principal photography earlier this year and was in post production reached $90 million due in part to covid related delays and protocols the decision still comes as a shock as Studios almost never shelf Productions outright preferring to get at least some return on their investment it also comes as Warner Bros is still contending with what to do about the flash a adaptation created and budgeted specifically for theatrical release in 2023 the film has been utterly hamstrung by repeated allegations of abuse and misconduct by its star Ezra Miller and it’s not like Batgirl was a small movie either along with Grace JK Simmons plays Barbara’s father commissioner Jim Gordon and Michael Keaton reprises his role as Batman as he also does in the flash Brendan Frasier plays the villain Firefly and Grace told Variety in April that she had preliminary discussions with L arbi and FAA about what a sequel could be there’s crazy stuns crazy drops Grace said of the film she’s a biker chick so you’re going to see her do a bunch of Biser there were a lot of long days but it was so worth it the death of Batgirl on Tuesday sent immediate shock waves through Hollywood the film with a $75 million budget that grew to $90 million due to covid related overages had finished shooting months ago and was in test screenings as directors Adel L arai and Bill alala bad boys for Life Miss Marvel worked through the post- production process star lesie Grace in The Heights had given multiple interviews expressing her enthusiasm for landing the title role and working with co-stars Michael Keaton as Batman JK Simmons as her character’s father commissioner Gordon and Brendan Fraser as the villain Firefly in other words the movie was nearly finished and already building awareness among fans why would Warner Bros Discovery throw all that away according to sources with knowledge of the situation the most likely reason taxes several sources note that Batgirl was made under a different regime at Warner Bros headed by Jason killer and an Sarnoff that was singularly focused on building its streaming service HBO Max that effort included Killer’s Infamous decision to release the Studio’s entire 2021 theatrical slate simultaneously on the streamer which helped build the subscriber base but also jeopardized the studios’s reputation with top tier Talent though many agents and stars privately came to appreciate the move when the company paid generous bonuses as a make nice even before David zaslav took the Reigns of the newly formed War Warner Bros Discovery as CEO this spring the exec went on a well- publicized listening tour designed to repair the company’s relationship with the creative Community as part of that effort zaslav has made no secret of reversing killer strategy and committing to releasing first run feature films in theaters before putting them on HBO Max Batgirl found itself on the bad end of that decision apparently neither big enough to feel worthy of a major theatrical releas nor small enough to make economic sense in an increasingly Cutthroat streaming landscape
Movie Credits
Rising star Jenna Ortega, known for her haunting portrayal of Wednesday Addams, is set to don the iconic cape and cowl as Batgirl in the upcoming DC Comics adaptation. The announcement, made by Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Films, marks a thrilling new chapter in the legendary superhero saga. Joining her is Margot Robbie, reprising her role of Harley Quinn.
Under the visionary direction of filmmakers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, known for their dynamic work on “Bad Boys for Life,” “Batgirl” promises to offer a fresh and exhilarating take on the beloved character. With their knack for blending heart-pounding action with compelling storytelling, El Arbi and Fallah are poised to deliver a Batgirl like audiences have never seen before.
#batgirl #batman #jennaortega
Jenna Ortega set to film as Batgirl in Fall 2024
Batgirl (2025) Movie || Jenna Ortega, Margot Robbie, Leslie Grace, || Review And Facts #batgirlmovie2025 #hollywoodmovies
