Warner Bros. decided to shelve a $90 million film project.
Today, The Verge and The Wrap reported that Warner Bros. Discovery will no longer release "Batgirl" in theaters or even on HBO MAX.
Despite being close to finished, the film studio decided to shelve the movie starring Leslie Grace ("In the Heights") in the title role of Barbara Gordon.
Warner Bros. Discovery Decided to Shelve 'Batgirl'
"Batgirl" was developed and filmed prior to the Warner Bros. Discovery merger. It was initially created to be an HBO Max release, but was eventually considered for theatrical distribution.
The budget for filming ballooned to $90 million due to COVID issues and shutdowns.
According to The Wrap, insiders said that in spite of reshoots and increased in budget, the leaders of the studio eventually decided that the movie simply "did not work."
The Verge cited that reasons for shelving include Warner Bros. Discovery executive David Zaslav and new Warner Bros. head Michael De Luca wanted to cut costs and focused on films for theaters instead of straight-to-streaming.
Accordingly, the new owners and management are dedicated to create DC titles for big theatrical event films, however, "Batgirl" isn't fit for that.
Warner Bros. Discovery has been working to elevate DC Films for theater quality. Unfortunately, the script for "Batgirl" is not made for such purpose. The film is also not produced as a theatrical film.
However, The Wrap noted that the studio loves the film's directors and star. Insiders said that they are actively planning to work with them in the future.
Batgirl was directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah ("Bad Boys for Life"). Aside from Grace, it also starred Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman, and J.K. Simmons as Jim Gordon. It was reported that Brendan Fraser was cast as the film's villain.
Read Also: Lego Batman And Knight Rider Walks Their Way To Lego Dimensions
'Batgirl' is in Post-production When Studio Decided to Shelve it
The "Batgirl" movie was announced in 2021. A promotional image of Grace as Batgirl was released.
The promotional image suggested that the film would be using the redesigned "Batgirl" costume. Writer Christina Hodson said that it would have been an origin story.
The story of "Batgirl" started in the Batman mythos 50 years. It featured Barbara Gordon, the daughter of Gotham City Police Commissioner Jim Gordon.
Since her debut, Barbara has become one of the most popular superheroines in the world.
In the classic graphic novel "The Killing Joke," Barbara was eventually rendered paralyzed by a gunshot from the Joker. When this happened, other crimefighters, such as The Huntress and Orphan, took up the "Batgirl" name.
Barbara then became the Oracle, a tech-savvy aide to Batman. Later on, Barbara came back to the role of "Batgirl." This means that her assault in "The Killing Joke" was modified.
Filming of "Batgirl" initially happened in Glasgow, Scotland. It took place from November 2021 to March 2022. Currently, the film was in post-production.
According to The Wraps, "Batgirl" isn't the only film that Warner Bros. decided to shelve. The studio has also decided that it will not release the animated feature "Scoob!: Holiday Haunt" which had a budget of around $40 million.
Related Article: 'Peacemaker' Surpasses Netflix's 'The Witcher' as HBO Max Gains Momentum, More Content to Come
