“Batgirl”: Warner cancels the DC movie and leaves it with no release in theaters or HBO Max

The movie “Batgirl,” starring Leslie Grace (“In a New York Neighborhood”) as Barbara Gordon and starring Michael Keaton again as Batman, was canceled by Warner Bros. in a surprising decision that leaves the movie with no theatrical release or HBO Max, even though it’s nearly done.

The film, directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, responsible for “Bad Boys For Life” and “Ms. Wonder ‘, It was already in post-production, having finished filming months ago, and had even had its first tests passed.but the studio has decided to completely cancel the project, as revealed exclusively on Tuesday, August 2 by the New York Post.

In addition to the DC movie, Warner also “archived” the sequel to “Scooby!”, Titled “Scoob !: Holiday Haunt”, which like “Batgirl”, would be released directly on HBO Max. Presumably, the decision to cancel both. previews it would not be for quality problems, but for the change of regime at Warner Bros. Discovery, which intends to reorient the company towards cinema.

According to Variety in an in-depth report on the subject, “Batgirl” was shot in a different direction, with Jason Kilar and Ann Sarnoff at the helm of the studio, which focused primarily on the development of HBO Max.. Kilar was responsible for the controversial theatrical release / hybrid streaming decision that helped boost subscriptions to the service, but alienated a number of directors from the company and led to several high-profile flops.

Following the creation of Warner Bros. Discovery this year through the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery, Inc., David Zaslav took over the reins of the company, reversing Kilar’s strategy of focusing once again on the theater.. This left ‘Batgirl’ in no-man’s-land: for the new Warner leadership, the film wasn’t big enough to be released in theaters, nor small enough to be worth the investment. To distribute it in theaters, Warner would have to spend another 30-40 million dollars, which would add to the original budget of 70 million, a figure that rises to 90 million after adding the costs derived from the pandemic.

According to Variety sources, Warner’s plan is to include “Batgirl” and the sequel to “Scooby!” as a tax deduction attributed to the change of strategy after the merger, to try to recover the investment. However, This would mean that neither could be monetized and, therefore, released by any means or sold to third parties.. Internally, this decision is considered the most sound from a financial point of view, despite the fact that it means canceling two projects that are almost completed.

Hours after the surprising news, Warner Bros. released an official statement confirming that the cancellations are due to changes in the company’s policies: “The decision not to release ‘Batgirl’ is due to the change in strategy of our leadership in relation to the DC Universe and HBO Max. Leslie Grace is an incredibly talented actress and this decision does not reflect her work. We feel incredibly grateful to the directors of ‘Batgirl’ and ‘Scoob! Holiday Haunt ‘, as well as their respective cast, and we look forward to collaborating with all of them again in the near future. “.

What will happen to “The Flash”?

The cancellation of “Batgirl” has once again led to speculation about the future of the DC Universe. It is surprising that “Blue Beetle”, with Xolo Maridueña, is not among the cancellations, despite being less advanced than “Batgirl” and also going straight to HBO Max. And the same goes for the film “Black Canary” with Jurnee Smollett-Bell reprising the role of “Birds of Prey”. Whether Warner will find a place for them in the future of the DC Universe or will end up suffering the same fate as “Batgirl” remains to be seen.

The other big unknown is what will happen to “The Flash”, which is expected to hit theaters in the summer of 2023 and also features Keaton as Batman. In recent months, the project has been hit by the continuing controversy surrounding its protagonist, Ezra Miller, but for now the studio hasn’t announced anything about the film, which is presumably still in the pipeline. Recent rumors indicated that, despite the controversy, Warner was still busy getting “The Flash” out in theaters, even though it wouldn’t have Miller again in the future. Warner’s decision to refocus her DC universe on blockbuster theatrical projects would support the theatrical release of The Flash, but with Warner and DC, nothing is certain..