Batgirl

About a week ago, industry observers noticed that Comic-Con 2022 came and went without any mention of Batgirl, the Warner Bros. film shot over the winter ...

DC Films president Walter Hamada laid out the previous strategy in early 2020, taking on Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe with two of its own: the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) and the DC Films multiverse. The Post says this film will join them due to new Warner Bros. Discovery executive David Zaslav and new Warner Bros. head Michael De Luca seeking to cut costs and focus on movies made for theaters instead of straight-to-streaming. The list of American unreleased films on Wikipedia is not a long one, and the flicks on it usually have a reason for being there — see the 1994 Fantastic Four effort or Netflix’s shelved Bill Cosby 77 project.

The $70 million film was in middle of post-production when decision was made.

As for the exact reason behind the shelving, sources say the film did not fall in line with the new strategy being implemented by DC Films as well as HBO Max. The studio is looking to make theatrical tentpoles with budgets at $90 million-plus, and from early footage seen this did not fall into place with that model. The New York Post first reported the Batgirl news. This falls in line with the mandate put down by the new WB regime to cut back on the feature films premiering on the streamer and deciding which films will be released theatrically and which will be shelved, and sources close to the project say word came down this week that Batgirl did not make the cut.

Michael Keaton reprised his role as Batman in the film, whose budget ballooned amid expensive reshoots.

Production was delayed because of Covid-19 and expensive reshoots were carried out, causing the film’s budget to skyrocket, according to The Wrap. Leslie Grace is best known for her role as Nina in In The Heights. Batgirl also starred Michael Keaton, who was set to reprise his role as Batman in the film, as well as J.K. Simmons and Brendan Frasier. It was directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, who are known for Mrs. Marvel. It’s unusual for studios to completely scrap projects. Starring Leslie Grace in the iconic comic book role, the movie had performed poorly in test screenings, according to the New York Post, which first broke the news of the cancellation.

Warner Bros confirms film starring Leslie Grace as Barbara Gordon, Michael Keaton, JK Simmons and Brendan Fraser won't ever be released.

Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav, who recently oversaw swingeing cuts at CNN including shutting down its $300m streaming service CNN+ one month after it launched, is reportedly prioritising cost-cutting and refocusing the studio on theatrical films over streaming projects. The Hollywood Reporter said Batgirl’s budget was a factor in the decision, having risen to nearly $90m (£74.1m, A$130m) due to costs relating to it being shot during the Covid-19 pandemic. Several shows including Full Frontal With Samantha Bee, The Last OG and Chad have been cancelled since the Warner Bros Discovery merger, while a DC Comics film of The Wonder Twins that was in development has also been canned.

The Dish: What's Behind The 'Batgirl' & 'Scoob!' Discard? David Zaslav's Abject Rejection Of Jason Kilar's HBO Max Strategy.

Warner Bros Discovery just released this statement: “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. But as all Warner Bros Discovery braces for Thursday’s quarterly earnings report and the layoffs that are sure to come, no one with a project made specifically for HBO Max or execs there can feel confident at this moment. Rather than spend vast sums pumping up the budgets of each film to compete in theatrical marketplace, and then spend $80 million in global P&A, the studio felt that scrapping both of the movies was a better choice, when coupled with the purchase accounting maneuver. This opportunity expires in mid-August, said sources, and it allows Warner Bros Discovery to not have to carry the losses on its books at a time when the studio is trying to pare down $3 billion in debt across its divisions. The makers of the live action Batgirl and the animated Scoob! learned today that those films were being stopped in their tracks. There are several threads here, but the move amounts to an emphatic rejection of past WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar’s strategy to make original $70 million live action and animated films directly for streaming site HBO Max.

The DC film starred Leslie Grace in the lead role of Barbara Gordon, and was set to be released later this year. Bad Boys for Life directors ...

Start your Independent Premium subscription today. “Leslie Grace is an incredibly talented actor and this decision is not a reflection of her performance.” A source called the movie “irredemable”.

"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. 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. The company has also scrapped Scoob! Holiday Haunt.

The DC Comics film, which was set to feature Hollywood stars Michael Keaton, Brendan Fraser, JK Simmons and Leslie Grace, was scrapped after receiving poor ...

A new TV studio is being developed at the city’s Kelvin Hall thanks to almost £7.9 million of funding from the Scottish Government and £4 million from GCC. Some of the big-name productions shot in the city last year included: The Flash; the fifth Indiana Jones film; Batgirl, the first major film production to be entirely based in the city; Tetris; Annika; Shetland; The Control Room; and Screw, the latter being filmed in the Kelvin Hall. The figure is the highest sum generated for the city’s economy from the film and broadcast sector to date, according to the Glasgow City Council’s (GCC) film commission, the Glasgow Film Office (GFO).

Warner Bros is not the first studio to bury a film six feet deep. Here are a few more of the worst movies you'll never see.

In 2018 it was announced that Michael Flatley – yes, that Michael Flatley, Lord of the Dance Michael Flatley – had written, directed, financed and starred in a globetrotting spy thriller called Blackbird. Not much was known about the film, other than that most of it seemed to feature Flatley wearing a fedora and gazing into the middle distance. The film was shot in two weeks in 2014, and starred Michael Madsen. A trailer was released, and yet the film itself never made it to television. By all reports a terrible film, Empires of the Deep failed to find distribution in 2014, and a 2016 crowdfunding campaign failed to help get it on to screens. But if this really is it – if Batgirl really is destined to be locked in a vault unseen until the end of time – then at least it finds itself in decent company. A $130m underwater 3D fantasy starring Olga Kurylenko as the queen of the mermaids sounds like the best film of 2011. Until this week, it was hard to look upon the imminent Batgirl movie with anything but a wearied sigh.

A truly bizarre situation unfolded in Hollywood yesterday as an avalanche of sites began to report that Warner Bros. would not be releasing its upcoming ...

But that can only happen if you do not monetize the movie at all, no release in theaters, nor on HBO Max, and it cannot be sold do a different studio either. All of this seems like a part of WB’s grand plan to rework the DC universe under new management, given how fractured its become and how troubled many of its projects are, whether that’s actor issues or production quality. A truly bizarre situation unfolded in Hollywood yesterday as an avalanche of sites began to report that Warner Bros. would not be releasing its upcoming Batgirl movie.

The film would have starred Leslie Grace but 'Batgirl' will neither have a theatrical release nor a streaming debut after Warner Bros. scrapped it.

“Leslie Grace is an incredibly talented actor, and this decision is not a reflection of her performance,” the spokesperson added. However, the latest reports have confirmed that Warner Bros does not have any plans for releasing Batgirl, which was initially developed as part of an HBO Max campaign. The film would have starred Leslie Grace as Barbara Gordon, but Batgirl will neither have a theatrical release nor a streaming debut.

The new DC blockbuster film has been shelved by Warner Bros. Here are the reasons the movie has been cancelled.

As per a report by the New York Post, the initial test screenings of the film received overwhelmingly poor responses from audiences. It is thought the production company’s main reason for the cancellation is a poor response to test screenings. What is the worst film of 2022?

Sorry, DC universe fans: the movie, which starred 'In The Heights' actress Leslie Grace in the title role, will not be released theatrically or on HBO Max.

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Warner Bros canned finished film Batgirl, stopping it from debuting on HBO Max, but the studio is still releasing The Flash with Ezra Miller.

That is a big chunk of change, whatever way you look at it, and until now the production had seemed relatively smooth and drama-free. Fans were excited to see how directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah would handle Barbara Gordon’s story. He is said to be focusing on cutting costs where possible and prioritising theatrical films as opposed to movies that are created solely for streaming audiences, which was what former WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar had leaned in to. Now both of those things are not to be. So that seems to be that, as far as the company is concerned (and for the animated Scooby Doo film too, also scrapped, which had a reported budget of $40m (£32.8m)). However, fans have been left reeling as they grapple with the fact that this bombshell decision just seems monumentally wasteful – and heartless. DC fans have had a lot to wrap their heads around in the last 24 hours, after news emerged that Warner Bros is completely scrapping Batgirl – yes, a film they have almost entirely made at a reported cost of around $90million.

Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, the duo behind Bad Boys for Life and episodes of Disney Plus series Ms Marvel, had alreeady completed work on the film, which ...

Start your Independent Premium subscription today. However, it was announced on Tuesday (2 August) that Warner Bros had decided to shelve the film due to a changing regime behind-the-scenes. By clicking ‘Register’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice.

InIn 1989, Alan Moore wanted to write a comic about what a man does when driven to the point of insanity. In the comic book, The Killing Joke, the Joker ...

But the fan campaign to make that film happen also turned out to mainly be made up of bots and fake accounts. But the rest of us are going to suffer. More likely, Batgirl is just a victim, again, of a corporation out to make a buck. When you’re a giant unwieldy mess of a merger, you have to be ruthless. According to Variety, the film was tucked away, never to be seen, not because it was a bad movie but because the massive entity now known as Warner Bros. Discovery wanted a tax write-off. When Disney acquired Fox in 2019, it promptly killed a live-action Lumberjanes show, threatened to get rid of Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit for fear of offending brand loyalists with a happy-go-lucky Adolf Hitler, and shoved the perfectly lovely The New Mutants in the vault. In the comic book, The Killing Joke, the Joker kidnaps and tortures Jim Gordon to see if he can drive him to the point of insanity that both the Joker and Batman have already reached in their own respective ways. Despite the fact that most of us have seen Batman Forever, Catwoman, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman 1984, Joker, Suicide Squad, Superman Returns, Jonah Hex, and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace and know just how tolerant Warner Bros. typically is of dog-shit superhero movies. Maybe this is all an elaborate plan by Warner Bros. Discovery to drum up support for the film and foster a big movement by fans who will demand the company release it. I can only hope Warner Bros. Discovery wasn’t as cruel when it canceled the already completed Batgirl film this week. At the time, much was said about how awful The New Mutants was. In 1989, Alan Moore wanted to write a comic about what a man does when driven to the point of insanity.

Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah have released a statement to express shock and sadness over the decision for their already shot film to be killed.

“We’ll talk about how we’re going to do it, and when, soon,” he said. “Leslie Grace is an incredibly talented actor and this decision is not a reflection of her performance. The $90m-budget film, which was intended to premiere on US streaming service HBO Max, had finished shooting and was being test screened. It’s reported that Discovery took on about $43bn of debt during the merger. As directors, it is critical that our work be shown to audiences, and while the film was far from finished, we wish that fans all over the world would have had the opportunity to see and embrace the final film themselves. “Batgirl For Life.”

The director of the now-cancelled Batgirl film reportedly found out his project had been scrapped while he was celebrating his wedding.

The DC Extended Universe film had completed filming and was in post-production, set to arrive on streaming service HBO Max in the next few months. And it appears directors Adil and Bilal were as blindsided by the abrupt decision as the general public. Adil El Arbi and Bilal Fallah’s take on the DC character had been set to release this year, with production almost finished, when it was abruptly axed.

Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. halted work on its new “Batgirl” superhero movie despite having already filmed the picture, according to multiple reports from ...

The movie, based on DC Comics characters, was in the final stages of editing. Warner Bros. didn’t respond to requests for comment. It won’t be released in theaters or on the company’s HBO Max streaming service, Variety and Deadline reported Tuesday. Variety said the film cost $90 million to make.

The film was based on the DC Comics character Barbara Gordon - or Batgirl - played by Leslie Grace. She appeared alongside Michael Keaton as Batman, Brendan ...

- Yellow Submarine: In 2009, Disney and director Robert Zemeckis announced a remake of the Beatles' 1968 musical comedy, due for release in 2012. He had been courting Brad Pitt to play the lead role of Ned Land, but Pitt officially turned the role down earlier that year. - 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea: The Australian government had offered $20m to secure the production of a remake of Jules Verne's classic story. It was one of many ideas put forward for the film, with Smith's script thrown out by director Tim Burton - who also chose Nicolas Cage to be the film's leading man. Shelving it means the company won't have to carry the losses on its books. The film reportedly had not tested well with audiences in early screenings.

“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 ...

He also had a cameo in the upcoming Aquaman sequel, but due to The Flash’s release date change, that also had to be adjusted. The outlet pointed out how several of their sources say that Warner Bros. “will almost certainly take a tax write-down” on the project, but in doing so, the studio would “[not be able to] monetize [the] movie:” Even worse is that with this potentially being used as a tax write-down, the world will never release it. "The makers of the live action Batgirl and the animated Scoob! learned today that those films were being stopped in their tracks. “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. "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.

The DC film about the superhero sidekick fell short of what the company wanted for its key comic book franchise and no longer fit with the studio's film ...

The company has also shelved a “Scoob!” sequel that was planned for HBO Max. Zaslav has promised Wall Street $3 billion in cost savings from the merger, but one of the people close to the company said that scrapping “Batgirl” was not a money-saving measure. Choosing to not release a film of that size means the company will have to eat the costs. The film, which cast “In the Heights” star Leslie Grace in the title role, was conceived with the small screen in mind. But the movie, as scripted and produced, also wasn’t a big enough of a spectacle to merit a full-blown theatrical release. Kilar left the company ahead of its combination with Discovery Inc. in a $43-billion deal that closed this year.

Just as the film was in post-production, management at Warner Bros Discovery decided to pull the plug on the DC Comics film BatGirl, despite it having a ...

It would not be surprising to see the company shut down several cable networks whose outlook is bleak. One area which is likely to be hit is cable networks. At the same time, they also gave thumbs down to airing the animated film “Scoobi! Holiday Haunt” which was estimated to have a $40 million budget.

Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, the shelved movie's directors, said they 'still can't believe' the shocking news that their creation was binned - and they ...

'Leslie Grace is an incredibly talented actor and this decision is not a reflection of her performance. Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, the two directors of axed Batgirl, have spoken out after Warner Bros dropped the movie. We are forever grateful to have been part of that team. Writing on Instagram, they wrote: 'We are saddened and shocked by the news. Batgirl For Life.' The decision on the film — which was to be released later this year — came after test screenings were panned by audiences, and studio execs thought it would hurt the future of the brand as they seek to rebrand the DC Extended Universe The Batgirl film would have featured Latina actress Leslie Grace in the titular role as she battled Brendan Fraser's Firefly who turned to a life of crime after he is fired from his job, loses his health insurance and could no longer care for his sick wife 'In any case as huge fans of Batman since we were little kids, it was a privilege and an honor to have been a part of the DCEU even if it was for a brief moment. The decision to axe the film — which was slated to be released on HBO Max later this year — came after a series of test screenings were panned by audiences, and studio execs thought it would hurt the future of the brand as they seek to streamline the DC Extended Universe. - Actress Leslie Grace, who was set to star in the film, has not yet commented on the axing of the film - Batgirl was first given the greenlight in 2021 as part of a company-wide effort to create feature films specifically for HBO Max - The decision to axe the film — which was slated to be released on HBO Max later this year — came after a series of test screenings were panned by audiences

Batgirl directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah are 'shocked' that their film was axed (Picture: Backgrid / Rex): @fallahbilall.

The directors recalled their childhoods, saying they had been ‘huge fans’ of the series, and in an optimistic end to the sad note, said it was ‘a privilege and an honor to have been a part of the DCEU, even if it was for a brief moment.’ They addressed the fact that the project was cancelled in post-production, and said that while it was ‘far from finished, we wish that fans all over the world would have had the opportunity to see and embrace the final films themselves’. Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah say they are ‘shocked and saddened’ that their DC Extended Universe flick was axed, but say they are ‘privileged’ to have worked on the film.

The DC film, which was set to feature Hollywood stars Michael Keaton, Brendan Fraser and JK Simmons, was filmed in Glasgow.

Start your Independent Premium subscription today. “We are forever grateful to have been part of that team. By clicking ‘Register’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice. By clicking ‘Register’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy policy and Terms of service apply. We still can’t believe it.

" I am proud of the love, hard work and intention all of our incredible cast and tireless crew put into this film," Grace wrote on social media.

It’s all very positive, and very light on the “fuck you, Warner Bros. Discovery president David Zaslav.” Grace’s post comes not long after the film’s directors, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Falla, made their own social media statements about the cancellation, describing themselves as “saddened and shocked by the news.” On the heels of the recent news about our movie “Batgirl,” I am proud of the love, hard work and intention all of our incredible cast and tireless crew put into this film over 7 months in Scotland. I feel blessed to have worked among absolute greats and forged relationships for a lifetime in the process! To every Batgirl fan - THANK YOU for the love and belief, allowing me to take on the cape and become, as Babs said best, “my own damn hero!”

TOM LEONARD: Batgirl, an apparently 'woke', big-budget film featuring a female version of the Caped Crusader, has been ignominiously scrapped - shocking the ...

The film starred former Bond girl Halle Berry as Batman's anti- heroine love interest (with superhuman feline abilities and a black leather catsuit). Nice switch of traditional gender roles there — except it, too, was a clunker, earning a dire 11 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes. However, that doesn't account for why the film was so bad in the first place. It has provided a sharp rejoinder to Hollywood bosses who insist their increasingly right-on output is just a reaction to changing audience tastes and social mores. Condemned as 'irredeemable' by studio executives at Warner Bros, it seems that not even a lengthy spell in the editing room could rescue it. It included Marvel's first gay superhero and its first deaf one. As for Amazon's £400 million Rings Of Power series (a prequel to The Lord Of The Rings), it has been accused of veering sharply from J.R.R. Tolkien's vision to feature black dwarves and hobbits, female orcs and powerful women characters that were never in his much-loved books. The decision on the film — which was to be released later this year — came after test screenings were panned by audiences, and studio execs thought it would hurt the future of the brand as they seek to rebrand the DC Extended Universe Looming on the horizon are two big-budget TV series — House Of The Dragon (a prequel to Game Of Thrones) and The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power. Both have gone through the wokeness wringer. Many have been simply dismal. Critics complained that it substituted liberal virtue-signalling — Buzz Lightyear's commanding officer is a black lesbian and the film features the first same-sex kiss in a Pixar production — for the simple, unpoliticised joys of the original movies. The film had got as far as test screenings and was being slated for release in cinemas and on the U.S. streaming service HBO Max by the end of this year.

The DC film, with Hollywood stars Michael Keaton, Brendan Fraser, JK Simmons and Leslie Grace, was filmed in Glasgow.

“I feel blessed to have worked among absolute greats and forged relationships for a lifetime in the process! “We are forever grateful to have been part of that team. We still can’t believe it.

Batgirl directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah said they are “shocked and saddened” after Warner Bros shelved the film. Issuing a joint statement on ...

Arbi and Fallah, whose film Rebel screened in Cannes Competition earlier this year, went on to thank the cast and crew of Batgirl which included Michael Keaton reprising his role as Batman and Leslie Grace in the title role. On August 1, it was first reported that the DC superheo film, which was due for a HBO Max release, was shelved due to poor audience test screenings. “As directors, it is critical that our work can be shown to audiences, and while the film was far from finished, we wish that fans all over the world would have had the opportunity to see and embrace the final film themselves.

Warner Bros axed the Batgirl film planned for HBO Max, opting to shelve the $US90 million ($A130 million)...

Maybe one day they will insha'Allah (if God wills)." Batgirl, approved before WarnerMedia's merger with Discovery Inc, will instead simply not see the light of day. Movie that don't meet studio expectations are typically sold off or dumped with little fanfare.

Actor speaks after the film, shot entirely in Glasgow on a $90m budget, was dropped from all platforms.

Any decision on the release of the production is very much a matter for Warner Bros. The £150,000 grant support has not been paid, and discussions continue with the producers.” Wider economic benefits to local supply chain and other businesses such as hospitality aren’t fully quantified yet, but they were very significant.” Speculation that the film’s quality was the determining factor behind the call not to let anyone see it has been questioned by some. “I feel blessed to have worked among absolute greats and forged relationships for a lifetime in the process! It is not yet clear whether Warner Bros will now send those invoices. “There’s crazy stunts, crazy drops,” Grace added.

Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah said it had been a dream to work on the now-shelved movie.

The loss from Batgirl would lower that taxable income significantly," David Blum, deputy chair of the tax practice group at law firm Akerman LLP, explained to Fortune. We are forever grateful to have been part of that team," they added. Batgirl for life." "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." In The Heights star Grace tweeted that she was "proud of the love, hard work and intention all of our incredible cast and tireless crew put into this film over seven months", adding she felt "blessed to have worked among absolute greats and forged relationships for a lifetime in the process". "As directors, it is critical that our work be shown to audiences, and while the film was far from finished, we wish that fans all over the world would have had the opportunity to see and embrace the final film themselves," Fallah and El Arbi said in their statement.

The film, set to feature Leslie Grace, Michael Keaton, Brendan Fraser, and JK Simmons, had been scheduled for release in late 2022. | ITV National News.

"We are forever grateful to have been part of that team. Warner Bros added that they were "incredibly grateful" to the filmmakers and cast, and hoped to collaborate with everyone again in the future. A spokesperson for Warner Bros said: "The decision to not release Batgirl reflects our leadership's strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max. They added: "In any case, as huge fans of Batman since we were little kids, it was a privilege and an honor to have been a part of the DCEU, even if it was for a brief moment," and signed off their statement "Batgirl For Life". We still can't believe it. Leslie Grace, who was cast as Batgirl, also tweeted to say she was "proud of the love, hard work and intention" put into the film by all involved.