The Batgirl Movie Is Dead

The new Batgirl movie will never be shown to you. According to reports, Warner Bros. has decided to cancel the nearly finished project and not release it in theaters or on Hbo Max, which was the original plan

io9 reached out to Warner Bros. for comment on the reasoning behind this. If and when we hear back, we'll update this piece. According to the New York Post, the film's test screenings were so bad that the studio didn't want to release it. Warner Bros. wants DC titles to be as big as possible, and the film was made as a streaming movie, not a big theatrical release. Which Batgirl wasn't? Variety says that the decision was not driven by the quality of the film, but by the desire for the studio's slate of DC features to be at a blockbuster scale.

Batgirl is a film directed by the Bad Boys for Life team. The actor was going to play Batman again in the film. According to the Wrap, Warner Bros. has nothing against any of those people and hopes to work with them soon, even though the film was made under a different regime and it doesn't mesh with the current boss' plans. DC films being big and theatrical is one of the plans.

This is really crazy. Batgirl could cost as much as $100 million according to those reports. If it is being done for the right reasons, then eating that much money is both amazing and honorable. Losing $100 million now is better than the billions it could lose in the future if the studio doesn't think the movie is good enough for the audience. You almost agree with the choice, but you feel bad for everyone involved.

You have to think about how this relates to Warner Bros. and DC's fascinating history. The fan base of the DC brand was damaged when Justice League was released as an inferior version. You can't help but wonder about The Flash, a Warner Bros. movie that cost more than $100 million and has a star who has become a staple in the police blotter. Is that film going to be released? What do you think about Batgirl if that is true? Is bad press ok but bad movies not?

There are a lot of questions. It's at least right now. The behind the scenes drama at Warner Bros. and DC Films is not boring.

The Variety report has been added to the update.

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