“Batgirl” is already in the final stages of post-production. But Warner Bros. and DC Films have reportedly put the project on hold.
Originally, Leslie Grace from “In the Heights” was supposed to star and Michael Keaton was supposed to reprise his role as Batman. The film, directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, was scheduled to air on HBO Max later this year. Filming took place between November 2021 and March of this year. Batgirl was greenlit for release with a budget of $70 million — which reportedly grew to over $90 million during filming due to COVID-related delays and cancellations. Despite this, the film will not appear on any platform.
Actress Leslie Grace was cast as the protagonist in the title role as Barbara Gordon aka Batgirl. Other stars included Brendan Fraser as Firefly, JK Simmons as Commissioner Gordon, and Michael Keaton, who reprized his role as Batman some three decades after his role as the Caped Crusader in 1992’s Batman Returns.
“Batgirl”: No potential for a blockbuster?
According to the New York Post, the decision not to release the film was due to new management at Warner Bros. following its merger with Discovery, with CEO David Zaslav wanting to make DC titles big blockbusters. Due to bad test screenings, the label finally developed the prognosis that “Batgirl” could not achieve this goal. Warner Bros. Discovery has not yet commented on this decision.
Besides her role in Batgirl, Grace doesn’t seem to have any other projects going at the moment. Brendan Fraser will be in The Whale this year and Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon in 2023. The actor will also star in next year’s The Flash.