Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has revealed why the studio opted to cancel the planned HBO Max Batgirl film.
Earlier this week it was revealed that Warner Bros Discovery had opted not to release Batgirl. The film was originally planned as an HBO Max exclusive film. Various shifts at Warner Bros after the merger with Discovery Media+, however, resulted in a new way of approaching DC Films.
The CEO Gets Blunt
Following the release of this story, Warner Bros Discovery released a statement, revealing why it had opted to cancel Batgirl. During an earnings call, CEO David Zaslav further expanded upon this. The executive bluntly said they weren’t going to put out a movie unless they believed in it:
“We’re not going to put a movie out unless we believe in it. That’s it. The objective is to grow the DC brand, to grow the DC characters, but also our job is to protect the DC brand, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Since the news came out, Batgirl star Leslie Grace has expressed her feelings on the matter. Likewise, the film’s directors have also come out and expressed their disappointment. In addition, it has caused some to speculate that Sasha Calle’s Supergirl film might also be in trouble. Until Warner Bros. Discover directly addresses the matter there is no way to know.
The Batgirl film was set to star In the Heights’ Leslie Grace. Batgirl was last seen on the big screen in live-action portrayed by Alicia Silverstone in Joel Schumacher’s Batman and Robin in 1997. The film was set to follow the Barbara Gordon iteration of the Gotham City heroine. J.K. Simmons was also in the film as Commissioner Gordon, Brendan Fraser as the villain Firefly, and Michael Keaton returned to play his version of Batman.
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Source: The Wrap
