Fans of the DC Comics Extended Universe (DCEU) were certainly shocked when it was revealed that the upcoming movie Batgirl has been scrapped for release.Directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (who also just recently directed bookend episodes for Marvel Studios’ Ms. Marvel), the film stars Leslie Grace as Barbara Gordon, the only daughter of Police Commissioner Gordon (J.K. Simmons) who fights crime under the guise of the Batgirl.There were some high hopes for the movie but unfortunately, Warner Bros. Discovery has chosen to shelve the project before anyone got a chance to see it.In contrast, the newly merged company appears hesitant to pull the plug on its other upcoming DC film The Flash even amidst all the scandals surrounding its lead star Ezra Miller. Even today, the movie is on track for release in June 2023.
The Cancellation Of Batgirl Was Announced Following The Warner Bros. Discovery Merger
Following the formation of Warner Bros. Discovery, it seems the first order of business was to cut losses. In its recent Q2 earnings presentation, the company highlighted that it has significant “foregone revenue” due to its “company-wide focus on content exclusivity to support HBO Max leading to reduced TV and Film licensing efforts coupled with a de-emphasis on HBO Max B2B distribution” prior to the merger.
It also blasted previous efforts to approve additional budgets on projects that have “unproven financial returns,” including “select direct-to-HBO Max film releases.”
One such movie that was originally conceived for an HBO Max release was Batgirl, which might explain why Warner Bros. Discovery was quick to ax the project even if it’s already completed production. Reports also indicate that the film’s increasing costs also worked against it.
Batgirl was initially given a budget of $75 million but that immediately went up to $90 million due to COVID-related expenses. And now with production completed, it is estimated that the movie will cost another $30 to $50 million to market.
During Warner Bros. Discovery’s Q2 earnings call, the company’s CEO Davis Zaslav made it clear that they wouldn’t further commit to a movie if it won’t be profitable. “We’re not going to launch a movie to make a quarter, and we’re not going to put a movie out unless we believe in it,” he explained.
Meanwhile, there is also speculation that Warner Bros. Discovery may be looking to use Batgirl as a tax write-down according to a report from Variety. Insiders have also indicated that the company sees it as the best way to recoup costs on the highly expensive movie.
Aside from Batgirl, it is also believed that Warner Bros. Discovery is looking to employ a similar strategy to the Scoob! movie that it also chose to remove from its slate along with the DC movie.
Why Is DCEU Not Looking To Scrap The Flash Just Like Batgirl?
While Batgirl was immediately shelved, Warner Bros. Discovery possibly sees a potential box office hit in The Flash, much like Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam and the sequel Shazam! 2.
“We’ve seen them, we think they’re terrific, and we think we can make them even better,” Zaslav has even said of the films during the earnings call. And with the 2020 released film Wonder Woman 1984 even failing to hit break even, the pressure is on to push for movies that would get DC films’ revenue up once more.
On the other hand, it may also seem like Warner Bros. Discovery isn’t intent on removing The Flash from the lineup because that may pose a major problem in propelling a major DCEU plot forward. For some time now, there has been some talk of plans to model the DCEU to Marvel Studios’ massively successful MCU, and it seems The Flash is critical to moving its overarching plot forward.
As fans may know, The Flash is the one DCEU movie that features two Batmans in the form of Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton who last portrayed the Caped Crusader in the 1992 film Batman Returns.
Having both men in the movie seems to indicate that the DCEU is exploring the idea of introducing their very own multiverse, which may well allow them to bring in more DC superheroes to the big screen (just like how Marvel used the multiverse to bring in America Chavez recently).
On the other hand, having Keaton reintroduced as Batman may also be part of the DCEU’s strategy to ensure that they already have a caped crusader in place just before Affleck is supposed to step away from the role for good.
Either way, no one really knows what would happen in the DCEU next until both Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and The Flash premiere. As for Batgirl, Zaslav has also said that they’re “not going to launch a movie until it’s ready.” That’s certainly not enough to get fans’ hopes up.
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