Yesterday’s shock announcement that Warner Bros. is canceling the upcomingBatgirlmovie despite the film being in the final weeks of post-production is still being processed by DC fans. While initial rumors hinted that the reason could be linked to bad test screenings, a statement released by Warner Bros. has confirmed that the scrapping of the movie was for financial reasons linked to the new business strategy of the company since their merger with Discovery. The statement published byThe Hollywood Reporterread:
“The decision to not release Batgirl reflects our leadership’s strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max. 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.”
When the news first broke inThe New York Post, it was such an unprecedented move that no one in the industry actually believed the story. As more sources corroborated the information, it became apparent very quickly that something was happening at Warner Bros. that many just couldn’t bring themselves to believe, including filmmakers likeDoctor Strangehelmer Scott Derrickson who said in a Twitter post, “Never seen this with a movie this size.”
That seems to be the sentiment across the industry, as it seems incomprehensible for a movie with a $70-$90 million budget to just be scrapped when it is not only already filmed but on the verge of completing post-production. According to other reports, even the movie’s directing duo were unaware of the movie being canceled andheard the news while in Morocco for the wedding of director Adil El Arbi.
Related:Scoob!: Holiday Haunt is Cancelled by Warner Bros. Following Cost-Cutting Push
Batgirl’s Cancelation Has Asked Questions of The DCEU’s Stability
While the DCEU has never managed to really find its footing, with Zack Snyder’s original vision falling apart due to circumstances beyond the control of either the director or the studio, subsequent movies feeling disjointed and unconnected, and now Warner Bros. firefighting problems with the public image of Amber Heard and Ezra Miller, the cancelation ofBatgirlhas reignited the question of whether the DCEU is capable of being saved.
Warner Bros.’s decision to talk only aboutBlack AdamandShazam! Fury of the Godsduring San Diego Comic-Con seemed strange at the time, as there was no mention ofBatgirl, Blue Beetle, or any of the 2023 movie releases. It now appears that inBatgirl’s case, there was a reason why Warner Bros. was in no rush to promote the movie, which has, in retrospect, been in release limbo for months with no real confirmation of when it would be premiering. The latest development has now opened doors to questions about Michael Keaton’s Batman role, which is also said to have been removed fromAquaman 2in favor ofthe return of Ben Affleck, and the entire future of the DCEU.
Considering Warner Bros. has made it clear that the Snyderverseis not coming back, they seem to suddenly be intent on now using Affleck as Batman over anyone else. How all this will end up playing out is something that we will discover in the next year.
