Batgirl Fans Just Got Terrible News
"Batgirl," an HBO Max original solo film focusing on the titular young hero, has had many intriguing updates throughout its production.
Leslie Grace, one of the stars of the film adaptation of the popular musical "In the Heights," was cast as the caped crime-fighter, whose real name is Barbara Gordon. In addition to the exciting new talent, Michael Keaton was confirmed to be reprising his take on Batman, and fellow veteran actors J.K. Simmons and Brendan Fraser rounded out the cast. And all of that is not even to mention the fact that "Ms. Marvel" directorial duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah came on board to helm the project (via The Hollywood Reporter). In January 2022, fans even got a first look at Grace in her "Batgirl" costume.
However, if recent reports are to be believed, it looks like fans who were hoping to see the purple-suited hero have just gotten some terrible news.
Warner Bros. is allegedly not planning to release Batgirl
On August 2, it was reported that Warner Bros. is allegedly planning to shelve their "Batgirl" movie, despite the project being well into production. The update was originally reported by The New York Post, which cited an unnamed Hollywood insider as their source. Since then, outlets such as The Wrap have also reported on the studio's plans to not release the film.
While nothing has been officially confirmed as of the time of writing, canceling "Batgirl" altogether would be an extreme move. According to The Wrap, the studio's desire to take DC movies in a different direction was likely a significant factor in the decision. This comes on the heels of Warner's sale to Discovery earlier in 2022, which put former Discovery head David Zaslav in charge of the studio as it tries to chart a course for its most lucrative media properties (via Reuters). There was speculation from the beginning regarding how the Warner Bros. and Discovery merger would affect the DCEU. In May, a "Wonder Twins" series was killed at HBO Max.
Despite The New York Post reporting that "Batgirl" received bad responses from test screenings, sources speaking to Variety claim that the movie's quality was not a significant factor in the decision, and that the shelving was instead related to the studio's desire to pivot to big screen releases. More will likely come to light as this story develops.