DC Comics movie Batgirl has been shelved by Warner Bros.
As The Hollywood ReporterThe Hollywood Reporter reports, the superhero movie was intended as another installment of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), but various factors—from poor test screenings and a change in leadership to cost-cutting measures and refocusing on theatrical content—have left the $90 million flick on the cutting room floor.
Shooting on the movie had finished, with a plan to release it on HBO Max this year. It starred In the Heights breakout Leslie Grace as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl; J.K. Simmons as her father, Gotham City PD Commissioner James Gordon; Brendan Fraser as villain Ted Carson/Firefly; and saw the return of Michael Keaton as Batman. Jacob Scipio, Ivory Aquino, Rebecca Front, Corey Johnson, and Ethan Kai were also cast.
Initially considered for a role in 2020's female-led Birds of Prey, Batgirl was ultimately left out of the team-up due to plans for a solo movie. Joss Whedon signed on to write, direct, and produce in 2017, then pulled out a year later; Birds of Prey writer Christina Hodson took over the script, with duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (Bad Boys for Life) at the helm.
A week after filming officially wrapped, WarnerMedia merged with Discovery, Inc., to create Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), led by David Zaslav, whose post-pandemic approach to film making appears to focus on theatrical releases over streaming originals.
"The decision to not release Batgirl reflects our leadership's strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max," Warner Bros. said in a statement. "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 its cast] and hope to collaborate with everyone again in the near future."
WBD, which also put animated feature Scoob!: Holiday Haunt on hold, is scheduled to report second-quarter 2022 earnings on Thursday, Aug. 4.