Two days after her forthcoming DC Extended Universe movie Batgirl was summarily canceled, studio Warner Bros. Discovery defended its decision. The superhero movie was reportedly 90% complete for him and was set to release on streaming platform HBO Max later this year before WB decided to pull the plug. Now Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav defended the decision, laying out his 10-year roadmap for DC’s future.
Batgirl stars Leslie Grace in the lead role, with Brendan Fraser, J.K. Simmons and Michael Keaton as Batman. The film, directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilal Fallah, would have served as an origin story for DCEU’s Batgirl aka Barbara Gordon. But on Tuesday, the WB announced it was scrapping plans for the release due to poor ratings from test audiences, cost-cutting measures for the studio, and a renewed focus on theatrical releases.Fans trended #SaveBatgirl on social media. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav reacted as he began to press the studio not to show the film. According to Collider, David said at an investor meeting, “We won’t release the movie until it’s done. We’re not going to release the movie to do a quarter.
The focus is on how to make each of these movies generally as good as possible. DC is something we think we can improve and that’s what we’re currently focusing on. There are some great DC movies like Black Adam, Shazam and more! and The Flash. We are working on it all. we are so excited for them. ”
There have been reports of Batgirl’s test ratings not being very good. David emphasized that the studio’s focus now is on theatrical releases, minimizing “expensive” films that go straight to streaming. Like I said, we’re not going to start a movie until it’s done, we’re not going to the cinema to make a quarter, and you won’t believe it. I don’t plan on releasing the film anytime soon.
On Wednesday, Leslie and the film’s director responded to the cancellation in separate statements on Instagram.The director said he was “shocked and saddened” by the development, but hopes fans will one day see the film. Thanking her fans for their support, Leslie said, “I am proud of the love, hard work and intentions that our incredible cast and all of our tireless staff put into this film during our seven months in Scotland.” said.
