Development of DC’s revamped cinematic universe is well underway after a series of underperforming projects and an inconsistent creative direction. But one of DC’s last most criticized decisions before its leadership was reorganized in October may have been justified, according to one of the studio’s new creative leads.
Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent organization of DC Studios, announced last August that the live-action Batgirl film would not be released despite the movie having completed filming in March, and having cost reportedly $90 million already.
The movie’s 11th hour cancellation came as a blow to its directors and a notable cast that includes Brendan Fraser and Michael Keaton. The film’s eponymous superheroine is played by In the Heights actress Leslie Grace, whose casting had been praised for representing Latinos in superhero films. But while those directly involved in the film’s production defended its quality, Discovery CEO David Zaslav bluntly addressed the cancellation in the company’s quarterly earnings call the day after the film was scrapped in early August of last year.
“We’re not going to launch a movie until it’s ready,” he said. “We’re not going to put a movie out unless we believe in it.”
Nearly six months later, with the future of DC becoming more clear, newcomers to the studio agree with Zaslav’s assessment that the film was not fit for release, and say that the decision to cancel it may have been the best thing to do for everyone involved.
The Batgirl character may make an appearance in the DC universe at some point, but the studio is unlikely to ever willingly show the scrapped film on a movie theater screen, DC Studios cochair and co-CEO Peter Safran said in a press event this week at the Warner Bros. lot.
“I saw the movie, and there are a lot of incredibly talented people in front of and behind the camera on that film. But that film was not releasable, and it happens sometimes….
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