In a move that is probably very smart, David Zaslav has shelved the upcoming Batgirl film that stars Leslie Grace as Batgirl/Barbara Gordon, Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/ Batman, Brendan Fraser as Firefly, and JK Simmons as James Gordon.
Deadline is reporting that the film, which cost Warner Bros at least $70 million will not be shown theatrically or on HBO Max. Depending on the source, the media seems split between one of two reasons for the pricy decision.
- There have been several test screenings of the film and they have gone very badly. Despite the film being just a couple of weeks from completing post-production ahead of a late 2022 release, the studio has decided that it would damage the DC brand too much, so they are killing it.
- The $70 million film does not fall in-line with the WB strategy for DC films that is aimed at $90+ million films that are suitable for theatrical release. As the film doesn’t fit the brand, the studio has decided to use it as a write-off instead.
Warner Bros has not made a public comment about the film.
There is some good and bad news here as far as we are concerned. The bad news is that performances of talent like Michael Keaton, Brendan Fraser, and JK Simmons are never going to see the light of day. However, the good news is that this saves our DC Dream project.
From all reports about the film, Batgirl would have some strong parallels to the Batman Beyond story, including having Keaton on-board to play old-man Bruce. Now that this film is off the table, it opens up a strong possibility (Unless Keaton walks away) to make a real Batman Beyond film.