At the beginning of this month, Warner Bros. decided to scrap a number of high-profile projects, including the much-awaited Batgirl. While fans are still busy requesting the studio to reconsider its decision, a leading publication reports that funeral screenings of Batgirl will be taking place soon for a select group of insiders who will be able to see the film on the Warner Bros. lot.
The publication reports that people who have worked on the film will be able to attend funeral screenings. Those types of screenings are held before the film is locked away in a vault for good.
Starring Leslie Grace in the titular role, along with J.K. Simmons, Brendan Fraser, and Ivory Aquino, who would’ve been the DC Extended Universe’s (DCEU) first trans character on-screen, the DC film was helmed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, the makers behind Disney+ series Ms. Marvel.
Reacting to the news of the film getting shelved, Grace had written on Instagram, "On the heels of the recent news about our movie 'Batgirl,' I am proud of the love, hard work, and intention all of our incredible cast and tireless crew put into this film over seven months in Scotland."
"I feel blessed to have worked among absolute greats and forged relationships for a lifetime in the process!"
El Arbi and Fallah also released a joint statement via social media which read: "We are saddened and shocked by the news. We still can't believe it. 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 films themselves. Maybe one day they will Insha/Allah."
"Our amazing cast and crew did a tremendous job and worked so hard to bring Batgirl to life," they added. "We are forever grateful to have been part of that team. It was a dream to work with such fantastic actors like Michael Keaton, J.K. Simmons, Brendan Fraser, Jacob Scipio, Corey Johnson, Rebecca Front, and especially the great Leslie Grace, who portrayed Batgirl with so much passion, dedication, and humanity."
Shot on a lavish budget, the film was complete and was set to be released via HBO Max sometime this year, but was ultimately shelved as part of a tax write-down.
The news came after Warner Media., the parent company of HBO, merged with Discovery, Inc., to create Warner Bros. Discovery this year, with David Zaslav as CEO.
“The decision to not release Batgirl reflects our leadership’s strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max,” a Warner Bros. Discovery spokesperson released in a statement. “Leslie Grace is an incredibly talented actor and this decision is not a reflection of her performance. We are incredibly grateful to the filmmakers of Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt and their respective casts and we hope to collaborate with everyone again in the near future.”
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