Already turned off
Film “Batgirl” is no longer to be released – despite a cost of 70 million US dollars
Leslie Grace was originally supposed to hit the big screen as Batgirl. The film has now been shelved.
© AFP
She should be the new power woman in the DC universe: “Batgirl”. Now, unfortunately, there’s bad news for the film, which should be out in late 2022. The Warner Bros. studio had different ideas about the publication.
All signs pointed to women’s power: Leading actress Leslie Grace posted a photo of herself in a “Batgirl” costume on Instagram in January. So it was clear: “Batman” finally gets its cinematic counterpart. The film has even already been shot, as reported by several US film portals. But fans should not rejoice too soon. Warner Bros. studio has decided not to release the comic book adaptation, which was slated for HBO Max later this year. This is reported by “Variety”, “Hollywood Reporter” and other media unanimously. What happened?
The film industry was surprised by this step. It almost never happens that a studio simply stops a film that has already been shot, writes “Variety”.
Test screenings are bad
The “New York Post” reported, citing Hollywood insiders, that test screenings with viewers had turned out poorly. According to “Deadline.com”, the step is to be related to other priorities, strategies and austerity measures of the new media group Warner Bros. Discovery. The Warner Bros. studio initially did not comment on the “Batgirl” plans on Tuesday. The film is said to have cost at least $70 million, according to the Post.
The cast also included veteran “Batman” Michael Keaton, who would reprise his role in “Batgirl.” Michael Keaton saw it as a challenge whether he could make a comeback: “Honestly, the back of my mind was always, ‘I bet I could go back and nail him,'” Keaton said of Batman in mid-August in an interview with “The Hollywood Reporter”. The movie star added, “So I was like, ‘Now that you’re asking me, let me see if I can pull this off.'” That’s not going to happen for now.
“Batgirl” has been part of the comics for over 60 years
“Batgirl” first appeared in the 1961 Batman comics. First, Betty Kane, the niece of “Batwoman” was under the cape. In 1967, however, Barbara Gordon, the daughter of police officer Gordon, came out as the second and to this day more well-known incarnation of “Batgirl” in the comics. In the 1960s, Yvonne Craig (1937-2015) played the bat girl in the TV series, and in 1997 Alicia Silverstone was “Batgirl” in the film “Batman & Robin”.