Warner Bros.' Batgirl Movie Has Been Cancelled. As "Variety" reports, the film will not premiere on any of the studio's platforms - neither in theaters nor on HBO Max.
The production stars Leslie Grace (27) as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl and J.K. Simmons (67), Michael Keaton (70) and Brendan Fraser (53) in the cast had received the green light in 2021. Filmmakers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah ("Ms. Marvel") have been hired to direct. The film was part of a company-wide Warner Bros. strategy to develop feature films specifically for HBO Max.
However, the new management of Warner Bros. Discovery turned the company's focus back to cinema films, so that "Batgirl" no longer had a real home.
Studio insiders stress that the decision to scrap Batgirl was not due to the quality of the film or the dedication of the filmmakers, but rather the studio's desire to push the DC movies to blockbuster levels. "Batgirl" was intended for home airing on HBO Max and was not intended for a worldwide theatrical release.
The original $75 million production budget for the project, which finished filming earlier this year and was in post-production, increased to $90 million, which partly due to delays and protocols related to Corona.
Also on the brink is "Scoob! Holiday Haunt," a follow-up to the film "Scoob!" from 2020. Footage for the animated adaptation of the "Scooby-Doo" series was previously shown in a demo for HBO Max in December 2021. According to sources, it cost Warner Bros. $40 million to produce.
Additionally, Warner Bros. is still wrestling with what to do with The Flash, a DC adaptation being developed specifically for a 2023 theatrical release. The film was paralyzed by repeated allegations of abuse and misconduct by its lead actor, Ezra Miller, 29.
