A lot of people have been anticipating the release of the movie Batgirl, both the highly acclaimed cast and fans as well. Warner Bros., however, has announced other plans, and that the $90 million movie will not be released after all.
Breitbart reports:
As part of its recent merger with Discovery, Warner Bros. announced on Tuesday that the $90 million Batgirl will not be flying into theaters anytime soon and will not be sold to a streaming service. According to Warner Bros. Picture Spokesperson, the shocking and unprecedented decision stems from the company’s “strategic shift” in the DC Universe. The studio also shelved a Scooby-Doo movie.
Batgirl had originally been designed for an HBO Max release, but the budget reportedly swelled past $90 million due to coronavirus restrictions during the pandemic. Though it had entered post-production, Warner Bros. decided it was not worthy of a theatrical run. Insiders told TheWrap that the studio heads ultimately believed the film “did not work.”
Similar to the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut phenomenon that led to the re-release of Justice League, a steady backlash has been brewing online, which has been even more amplified by the fact that Batgirl star Leslie Grace checks a big representation box as a Latina American.
Leslie Grace was incredible in IN THE HEIGHTS. BATGIRL was supposed to be her chance to become a bonafide movie star. WB is taking that away from us. And I will not stand for it. #ReleaseTheBatgirlMovie pic.twitter.com/gaGNAdJh7E
— Ezra Cubero (@EzraCubero) August 2, 2022
If the BATGIRL cancellation really was all about David Zaslav “asserting his dominance over the DC brand,” I’d like to send a message back to say that minority talent are not pawns for your petty power plays 🙃 https://t.co/wGiJVv9HkZ
— Zoë Rose Bryant (@ZoeRoseBryant) August 3, 2022
This is so very dumb. I was very excited to see @lesliegrace as Batgirl and we deserve to see her in action. WB should just throw it on HBO Max regardless and see how it lands with fans at least. https://t.co/oOkkVkdRq8
— Brandon LeBlanc (@brandonleblanc) August 3, 2022
Warner Bros. didn’t earn any fans by its decision not to release a highly anticipated film that was almost complete. Hispanic fans of Batgirl are especially irritated. $90 million was spent on the movie so what do you think the real reason is that WB doesn’t want to put it out?