The Batgirl live-action movie will not see the light of day, it’s been confirmed.
A company statement stressed that the decision was “not a reflection” on the performance of its “incredibly talented” lead star, Leslie Grace, and was instead the result of a change in strategy at the company. The company has also scrapped Scoob! Holiday Haunt.
“The decision to not release Batgirl reflects our leadership’s strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max,” a Warner Bros. spokesperson said.
“Leslie Grace is an incredibly talented actor and this decision is not a reflection of her performance. We are incredibly grateful to the filmmakers of Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt and their respective casts and we hope to collaborate with everyone again in the near future.”
According to TheWrap and The New York Post, bosses at Warner Bros Pictures’ new corporate owners Discovery have decided to shelve the film entirely, rather than release it cinematically or on HBO Max as planned.
Batgirl was supposed to be coming directly to HBO Max, but Discovery’s David Zaslav has shifted the company’s strategy for DC more towards theatrical event films since merging with WB.
According to both publications, directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah’s budget for the film had expanded to $90 million because of COVID-19 delays and reshoots in the UK. It seems Discovery would rather eat the $90 million loss than attempt to retool the film for a cinematic release or stay the course for an HBO streaming option.
The film was to have been the Worlds of DC debut of In the Heights star Grace as Barbara Gordon, the masked vigilante and member of Batman’s inner circle protecting Gotham City.
The directors recently teased the film would have been an origin story for the hero, with a fairly gritty tone. Justice League‘s JK Simmons had been set to return as Barbara’s father, Gotham police commissioner Jim Gordon, while Michael Keaton would have reprised his iconic role as Batman.
El Arbi and Fallah had also just teased Keaton’s significant involvement in the film, promising fans could expect to see the “OG Batman” in action in Gotham once again.
The film would have followed on from The Flash, which reintroduces Keaton’s Batman alongside Ben Affleck’s version of the hero as part of a Multiverse adventure.
Neither Grace nor directors El Arbi and Fallah have yet commented on the disappointing news.
Justin Harp is Digital Spy’s US-based Night News Editor covering all things entertainment on West Coast time.
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