Why Warner Bros. Killed ‘Batgirl’: Inside the Decision Not to Release the DC Movie
variety.comThe death of “Batgirl” on Tuesday sent immediate shockwaves through Hollywood. The film — with a $75 million budget that grew to $90 million due to COVID-related overages — had finished shooting months ago and was in test screenings as directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (“Bad Boys for Life,” “Ms.
Marvel”) worked through the post-production process. Star Leslie Grace (“In the Heights”) had given multiple interviews expressing her enthusiasm for landing the title role and working with co-stars Michael Keaton (as Batman), J.K.
Simmons (as her character’s father, Commissioner Gordon) and Brendan Fraser (as the villain, Firefly).In other words, the movie was nearly finished, and already building awareness among fans.
Why would Warner Bros. Discovery throw all that away? According to sources with knowledge of the situation, the most likely reason: taxes.Several sources note that “Batgirl” was made under a different regime at Warner Bros., headed by Jason Kilar and Ann Sarnoff, that was singularly focused on building its streaming service, HBO Max.
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