In one of the biggest stories to shake Hollywood since Warner Bros. decided to dump its entire 2021 movie slate onto HBO Max, newly-formed Warner Bros. Discovery made the decision to swing the axe on two movies this week, with the studio shelving both DC Films’ Batgirl and animated sequel Scoob!: Holiday Haunt, despite investing the best part of $150 million into the two almost-completed projects.
In the wake of the news, Batgirl directors Adil El Arbi and Bilal Fallah issued a statement saying they were “saddened and shocked” by the decision, and now Barbara Gordon herself, In the Heights actress Leslie Grace, has broken her silence with a very classy response thanking the film’s crew for their efforts and fans for their support.
“Querida familia! On the heels of the recent news about our movie Batgirl, I am proud of the love, hard work and intention all of our incredible cast and tireless crew put into this film over 7 months in Scotland,” writes Grace. I feel blessed to have worked among absolute greats and forged relationships for a lifetime in the process! To every Batgirl fan – THANK YOU for the love and belief, allowing me to take on the cape and become, as Babs said best, ‘my own damn hero!'”
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Since the news broke, speculation has been running rampant as to the reason for Warner’s decision, with various suggestions pointing towards “irredeemable” test screenings, potential tax-write offs, issues and concerns over Ezra Miller’s The Flash (which introduces Michael Keaton’s Batman into the DCEU ahead of what would have been a major supporting role in Batgirl), and/or the HBO Max streaming service’s days being numbered.
While we’re yet to get specific details (and may never do so), Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has addressed the decision during the studio’s latest investor earnings call, stating that:
“We’re not going to launch a movie until it’s ready. 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… These are brands that are known everywhere in the world. And as part of that, we’re going to focus on quality. DC is something that we think we could make better and we’re focused on it now.
“This idea of expensive films going direct to streaming — we can’t find an economic case for it, we can’t find an economic value to it, so we’re making a strategic shift… We will fully embrace theatrical as we believe that creates interest and demand, provides a great marketing tailwind, and generates word-of-mouth buzz as films transition to streaming and beyond. We have a different view on the wisdom of releasing direct streaming films, and we have taken some aggressive steps to course correct the previous strategy.”
SEE ALSO: James Gunn reassures fans on the future of Peacemaker after Batgirl cancellation
This is of course surely not the last we’ll hear of this story, and fans will now face a nervous wait until this new DC strategy from the studio becomes clear.
Via Variety
