Warner Bros. has reportedly decided not to release the Batgirl movie starring Leslie Grace, despite the movie being close to finished.
According to The Wrap, Batgirl will not be released either in theaters or on HBO Max. The film was developed and shot before the Warner Bros. Discovery merger, and according to the report, the new leadership under CEO David Zaslav agreed the movie “did not work.”
The Hollywood Reporter meanwhile cites cost-cutting as another reason for shelving the film as well as refocusing on theatrical releases over creating movies for HBO Max.
Batgirl was originally slated to be released as an HBO Max exclusive but later became a theatrical and streaming release. The budget was also expanded to $90 million and there were reshoots as well to expand the scope of the film.
DC Universe: Every Upcoming Movie and TV Show
However, the new leadership at Warner Bros. Discovery has decided DC movies should be “big theatrical event films,” which Batgirl was not given it was originally intended to be a streaming-exclusive. The leadership team also reportedly wishes to work with Batgirl star Leslie Grace and Bad Boys for Life directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah soon.
The Batgirl movie was announced in 2021 with the director duo. In the Heights star, Leslie Grace was later announced as the new Barbara Gordon with J.K. Simmons reprising his Justice League role as her father, Jim Gordon.
Brendan Fraser was also reportedly cast as the film’s villain and Michael Keaton was teased to return as Bruce Wayne’s Batman.
A promotional image of Grace as Batgirl revealed that the movie would be utilizing the redesigned Batgirl costume and that it would have been an origin story of sorts according to writer Christina Hodson.
It was reported earlier this year following Discovery’s takeover of WarnerMedia that the new leaders were prioritizing an overhaul of the DC movie team. This included finding a Kevin Feige-like figure to manage the slate and produce more movies like Joker. The new leaders were also unhappy with how top-shelf characters like Superman have seemingly been left to languish.
Currently, DC is a hodgepodge of different films and projects whether it’s Matt Reeves’ The Batman and its many spinoffs and sequel, or holdovers from the Snyderverse such as Aquaman 2 and The Flash. There are also standalone movies like Shazam and Black Adam.
There’s also the other DC movie that was originally announced for HBO Max before getting a theatrical release, Blue Beetle. No word yet on whether that movie will proceed.
Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.