Early in August 2022, DC’s Batgirl created quite a stir for all the wrong reasons. Not much was said regarding the movie’s cancellation.
One reason Warner Bros canceled the $90 million, almost finished Leslie Grace project was because of income and taxes. The corporation described the cancellation as a “strategic” decision in its statement.
Despite being deemed dead, the show has continued to make news, and after a few events at the end of August, many are now speculating as to whether the film will ever be released.
Cancellation of Batgirl and Requests for Her Release
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We must comprehend the initial reasons for the movie’s unsuitability for release to comprehend the most recent developments.
With a few bumps along the way, Batgirl’s development began in May 2016; casting began in July 2021, and filming commenced in November 2021 in Glasgow, the city of choice for Gotham. In March 2022, the filming was finished, and post-production began.
Warner Bros., however, judged the film unfit for distribution in early August 2022 after significant post-production portions had already been completed.
The studio claimed that this was because of Warners’ new leadership, cost-cutting measures, and an emphasis on more theatrical releases.
Originally intended to be a part of the DC Extended Universe, Batgirl was deemed unsuitable for HBO Max and too small to receive theatrical distribution. It was one of the most expensive movie cancellations ever due to the cancellation.
One of the reasons for the cancellation was also thought to be the allegedly negative audience responses at test screenings.
All of this took place at the start of August. But by the end, a few other things came to light. First off, David Zaslav, the new CEO of Warner Bros., declared that Batgirl was a tax write-off, saving the studio a significant sum of money. However, this practically implies they were unable to release the film anyplace.
Following this, many cast members, including Grace, the filmmakers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, and others expressed their desire for the film to be released.
For abandoning a project that touched so many people’s lives and brought so many people together, some (anonymously) have even branded the studio as cowards.
Even a few “funeral screenings” of the film have taken place before WB decides to store it permanently. The directors have already pleaded with the company but do not have access to any video.
Isla, the father of one of the young actors and actresses, published an open letter pleading with the studio to at the very least send him some images of his daughter’s sequences. Isla was reportedly really distressed by the revelation, and he wanted to show her mother and sisters the photos.
All of these have sparked a little Twitter outrage, with the hashtag #releasebatgirl already gaining some traction.
Others want to see how horrible the film was and how even Michael Keaton, who reprised his role as Batman, could not salvage it. Some people like the movie to be published simply as a sign of respect to everyone who worked on it.
Some Redditors claimed that it was hypocritical of the supporters to oppose the movie’s release while supporting Jack Snyder’s Justice League.
After all, the genesis of both films was influenced by comparable situations.
Does Batgirl Have a Release Date?
There are slim chances that Batgirl will be published, but there are several restrictions on even those. These possibilities result from the cancellation of Scoob! : Holiday Haunt, a different film.
The films were in various stages of completion even though they were canceled at the same time. Scoob! was more close to being finished than Batgirl, and it turns out that WB spent a little more money to finish the film even after it was canceled.
This action demonstrates that tax write-offs may not be as permanent as everyone believes. Could DC follow suit, finish Batgirl, and then consider recouping the write-offs to distribute the film?
It appears that the studio is unwilling to accomplish that. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warners may choose to go in a different direction and destroy the Batgirl footage to prove to the IRS that they would not profit from the movie in the future.
This would result in the write-full off’s advantages being realized right away.
Even if WB does not opt to remove the footage, the movie might never be released in the exact shape that the directors had in mind.
If DC ever tries to release the film, they might do so as a web series by chopping up, rearranging, and adding to the already-existing footage.
These are only rumors, though. The answer to the question “will Batgirl ever be released?” is still unknown, and the chances of it happening are slim.
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