Super hero flick Batgirl cancelled on economic grounds

The $US90m film has been axed because it’s not big enough for a cinema release but too big to stream.

Leslie Grace, in character as Batgirl, has said how thrilled she was to be working with Michael Keaton and other luminaries on the superhero film. Picture: DC Films

Batgirl, the $US90m ($129m) superhero film, has been axed in all formats because it’s not big enough for a cinema release but too big to stream.

Trade title Variety quoted industry insiders saying Batgirl had fallen between two stools — not big and glitzy enough for a theatrical release, with its expensive marketing requirements, but too big to make economic sense in the belt-tightening world of streaming. Variety said the $US90m hole this would leave in the studio’s balance sheet would probably be dealt with via a tax writedown — a process where companies reduce their exposure to tax by subtracting losses from their profits.

Warner Bros Discovery announced overnight on Wednesday they were shelving the movie adaptation of the DC Comics character, which was to star Leslie Grace in the title role, alongside Michael Keaton as Batman, preventing it from being seen in either cinemas or on streaming platform HBO Max.

The move sent shockwaves through Hollywood, where industry veterans said it was unprecedented for a movie to be so close to completion — and with so much money already spent — and not be released.

Batgirl appears to have fallen victim to a change in corporate strategy after a merger between Warner Bros and Discovery. Warner Bros had committed to making movies that could go straight to HBO Max, as part of an effort to boost subscribers in the increasingly crowded streaming sector.

The decision, which was driven partially by a need to bypass Covid-hit cinemas last year, was not popular among creatives and appears to have been rolled back after the tie-up with Discovery.

The actors and directors only learned the film has been axed when the news was broken by the New York Post.

“We are saddened and shocked by the news. We still can’t believe it,” directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah wrote on Instagram. “As directors, it is critical that our work be shown to audiences, and while the film was far from finished, we wish that fans all over the world would have had the opportunity to see and embrace the final film themselves.”

The movie had completed principal photography, and much of the post-production work — where special effects, sound and graphics are added — was also done.

Grace (from musical drama In the Heights) released an upbeat statement on her Instagram account overnight on Wednesday, saying she was “proud of the love, hard work and intention all of our incredible cast and tireless crew put into this film over 7 months in Scotland.”

“I feel blessed to have worked among absolute greats and forged relationships for a lifetime in the process!”

Her efforts were applauded by El Arbi and Fallah, who described themselves as “huge fans of Batman since we were little kids”. “It was a dream to work with such fantastic actors like Michael Keaton, JK Simmons, Brendan Fraser … and especially the great Leslie Grace, who portrayed Batgirl with so much passion, dedication and humanity,” the Bad Boys for Life directing duo added.

AFP