Courtesy of DC Films
“We are saddened and shocked by the news. We still can’t believe it. As filmmakers, it’s important that our work is shown to the public, and while the film was a long way from completion, we wish fans around the world had the opportunity to see and embrace the final film for themselves,” the duo said. in an Instagram post that you can read below. Both Deadline directors were in Morocco for El Arbi’s wedding when they first learned of Batgirl’s bad news. Again a big shout out here to everyone involved in making this movie. “Our amazing cast and crew did a tremendous job and worked so hard to bring Batgirl to life. We are forever grateful to have been a part of this team. It was a dream to work with such fantastic actors as Michael Keaton, JK Simmons, Brendan Fraser, Jacob Scipio, Corey Johnson, Rebecca Front and especially the great Leslie Grace, who portrayed Batgirl with such passion, dedication and humanity,” the filmmakers said in their statement. They captioned the post saying “Batgirl for Life.” As Deadline told you yesterday, Warner Bros. Discovery took advantage of an “accounting purchases” maneuver that was available to conglom because the company changed hands. That deal expires in mid-August and allows WBD to avoid having to carry the losses on its books at a time when the studio is trying to find $3 billion in cost-saving synergies. this particular film costs about 70 million dollars. Interestingly, the cancellation of Batgirl is being announced ahead of tomorrow’s Warner Bros. Discovery earnings call. Furthermore, making films directly for HBO Max is not part of Zaslav’s agenda. Batgirl is being greenlit under Jason Kilar’s WarnerMedia regime. Again, the city remains shocked to see a notable brand name film shelved so late in post-production. Other reasons why Warners dumped Batgirl stem from the film potentially disrupting the DC multiverse continuity set in The Flash, which hits theaters on July 23, 2023. Batgirl was slated to be decommissioned before Flash. We hear the first round of testing for Batgirl wasn’t too bad. However, we’re hearing from both WB insiders and non-WB sources (who were part of a test team) that The Flash, despite all the Ezra Miller tabloid headlines, is actually amazing. Preserving and restoring the luster of the DC brand is a priority for Zaslav as he looks for a new czar to lead the comics division across film, television and all ancillary. There’s been a big casting call for Batgirl with Isabella Merced, Zoey Deutch, Leslie Grace and Haley Lu Richardson in the mix, as Deadline’s Justin Kroll first told you. Grace won the role and was a big social media champion for the film. Visually, it doesn’t look good for Warner Bros. Discovery to kill a movie with a Latina lead at a time when the industry is in dire need of diverse content. You can see an earlier tweet of hers below about the film. Warners released a statement last night, attempting to sweep the debacle of the axing of a Latina movie under the rug: “The decision not to release Batgirl reflects a strategic change in our leadership as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max. Leslie Grace is an incredibly talented actress and this decision does not reflect on her performance. We are incredibly grateful to the filmmakers of Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt and their respective casts and we hope to work with everyone again in the near future.” El Arbi and Fallah directed two episodes of Ms. Disney+’s Marvel as well as Bad Boys for Life who rebooted this pre-pandemic franchise and grossed over $426 million WW. “I use their expectations against them. This will be their weakness. It’s not mine. Let everyone underestimate me… And when their guard is down and their pride is up, let me kick them.” – Batgirl, Year One 🦇 pic.twitter.com/gbIA5EbcUK — Leslie Grace (@lesliegrace) January 15, 2022
