Warner Bros. Discovery has opted not to release Leslie Grace’s Batgirl film into theaters or on HBO Max.
Originally a Batgirl film was revealed to have been in development all the way back in 2017. Various changes happened to the production and the script was eventually written by Birds Of Prey writer Christina Hodson. In 2021 it was releveled that the planned HBO Max film would be helmed by Bad Boys For Life directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah.
Since the film was revealed details began to come out. Michael Keaton was set to return as Batman for the film with JK Simmon playing a version of Commissioner Gordon. Its exact position in the DC Extended Universe wasn’t clear, with the directors calling it a spaghetti of multiverses. Since Warner Bros merged with Discovery Media, however, the fate of the film had been up in the air.
Reports originally indicated that Batgirl might have been set for a theatrical release. Additional delays and scheduling reports seemed to have supported this. Now it, unfortunately, appears that Warner Bros Discover is scrapping the film altogether.
What Happened To Batgirl?
According to a new report from The Wrap, Batgirl will not be released theatrically or on HBO Max. The film underwent extensive reshoots and the budget reportedly ballooned from $70M to $90M because of this and Covid-19 safety measures. Dispite all of this, insiders stated that the movie just wasn’t working. However, the studio heads apparently loved the directors and stars and plan on working with them again. A spokesperson for the studio had no comment on the matter
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.
Source: The Wrap