If “Batgirl” had appeared on the streaming platforms as planned, one would have said: Oh yes, another superhero film. Fans would have watched it, non-fans would not, and critics would have once again lamented how monotonous and unoriginal superhero cinema has become. In any case, the attention for the film would most likely have been limited.
It’s very different now. Because “Batgirl” starring Leslie Grace (“In the Heights”), Michael Keaton as Batman and Brendan Fraser as the villain will never be seen. Not in the cinema, not in streaming. Never. Though the film is finished and in post-production by Ms. Marvel directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. Although it cost $90 million (some say even more). With the decision of the Warner Brothers Discovery studio, “Batgirl” becomes a legend. One of the most expensive abandoned film projects of all time.
Why did it come to this? According to Warner Brothers, it wasn’t the quality of the film, but the lack of strategic space for it. David Zaslav, the boss of Warner Brothers Discovery – a joint venture between Warner Media and the documentary broadcaster Discovery formed last year – wants to move away from the prioritization of streaming and back to prestigious blockbuster films that are shown in cinemas will.
Will fans demand the release of the film like they did with the “Snyder Cut”?
However, “Batgirl” was strategically planned in different times when Warner wanted exclusive films for its streaming service HBO Max. Designed for small screens, it probably can’t keep up with the really big films in terms of spectacle. However, he exceeded his budget of originally $ 75 million due to corona delays in shooting. Too small for cinema, too big for streaming. Warner prefers to put it in a drawer, book the expenses as a loss and save a lot on taxes. Sounds like a decision made by accountants, not film enthusiasts. But in Hollywood that would by no means be the first time.
And perhaps the real reason lies elsewhere. Of the New York Postwhich first went public with the story, an anonymous source is said to have reported that the film’s test screenings were so disastrous that Warner no longer expected “Batgirl.”
It wouldn’t be entirely surprising if it turned out like the hype surrounding another DC Comics film, 2017’s Justice League. Zack Snyder directed it, but because the studio reportedly didn’t like the rough cut , Joss Whedon changed the original version – until fans, who had protested for several years, finally demanded to see the “Snyder Cut”. Then what happened last year. So it’s quite possible that a “Free Batgirl” campaign will soon pull the film out of the drawer.