The upcoming “Batgirl” movie has been completely scrapped and abandoned by Warner Bros. with no plans to release the almost finished film…
“Batgirl” will no longer fly into theaters or HBO Max after the $90 million movie was completely scrapped by Warner Bros. on Tuesday.
The shocking move came as part of cost cutting measures after Warner Bros. merged with Discovery as the newly formed company continues to shed expenses in order to save money. This particular move is still stunning considering the studio had already invested nearly $100 million in the project but now “Batgirl” will be abandoned with no plans to ever release the almost finished film.
“Batgirl” was headlined by “In The Heights” breakout star Leslie Grace as Barbara Gordon alongside JK Simmons as Commissioner Jim Gordon, Brendan Fraser as the villain Firefly and Michael Keaton reprising his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman for the film.
While production on the movie was nearly completed, Warner Bros. ultimately decided to just scrap the entire movie and right now, there’s no chance the film will ever see the light of day.
“The decision to not release Batgirl reflects our leadership’s strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max,” Warner Bros. said in a statement issued to The Wrap. “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.”
Since the merger was completed that brought Warner Bros. under the Discovery umbrella, executives have been in cost cutting mode while still promising that big-budget fare under the DC banner would still be coming in the future. Current plans are expected to focus on tentpole projects that will only be released into theaters rather than developing films specifically branded for the HBO Max streaming service.
What that means for other film projects currently in the works for HBO Max remains a mystery.
“Batgirl” was originally developed for HBO Max, although there had been talks about possibly releasing the film into theaters, especially after the $70 million budget ballooned up to $90 million due to delays in production caused by the COVID pandemic.
Now “Batgirl” has been completely shelved and it’s expected that the new leadership at Warner Bros. will continue more cost-cutting measures moving forward.
