Ben Affleck might be returning to play a little bit of Batman, but Batgirl by Leslie Grace is being thrown in the rubbage… despite being almost done.
If you were ready to watch Barbara Gordon battle the villainy of Gotham in a new Warner Brothers film, your hopes may be crushed. The news from today is that WB is nixing the movie with a $90 million budget despite the production being nearly complete. That’s a heck of a decision. And though this movie came from a prior leadership team at the company, the big move is making some wonder if The Flash and all of Ezra Miller’s shenanigans could be next for the cutting room.
The decision to not release Batgirl reflects our leadership’s strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max. 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.
One of the telling statements is that Warner Bros is careful to present the cast of both cancelled projects in a positive light. They are specific to say they’d like to collaborate in the future. Yet they don’t want to collaborate now and finish and nearly finished movie.
So what’s up?
Perhaps the trend we’re beginning to see with The Walt Disney Company trying to moderate their policies is also spreading to other studios. It’s just a thought. While I have no problem at all with representing society accurately and appropriately, it’s worth noting that Batgirl was planned to be a major social movement movie with the film prominently featuring the first transgender comic book character.
https://twitter.com/batgirlupdates/status/1483245448253284356
When filming wrapped for Batgirl, Leslie Grace, the star of the film, didn’t do what most actors do with a movie like this. Instead of dropping a gratitude video or thanking everyone, she went with a profanity-laced car ride.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CbyNyq8KFk-/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=58ac9160-4c36-4ae6-9fe1-43146ec846bc
So maybe David Zaslav had just seen enough. Whether he thought the movie was really bad or whether he believed it would create more problems for him by letting it see the light of day, Batgirl is no more. Unless it leaks online somewhere, the chances of you seeing Leslie Grace as Barb are now slim to none.
The other thing to consider: is this Zaslav preparing the way for everyone to recognize Ezra Miller can be kicked to the curb just as easily?
So why do you think WB canceled an almost-complete superhero flick they could have at least kicked to streaming? Let us know in the comments below. And as always, keep reading That Park Place for all the news that should be fun!
