According to reports from several US film portals, the “Batgirl” film, which has already been shot, will not be released in cinemas or by a streaming service. The Warner Bros. studio rejected the comic book adaptation, reported “Variety”, “Hollywood Reporter” and other US media on Tuesday (local time) unanimously.
The film industry was surprised by this move, wrote Variety. It almost never happens that a studio simply stops a film that has already been shot.
The $70 million production, which was last in the post-production phase, was expected on the HBO Max streaming service at the end of this year. Leading actress Leslie Grace (27, “In the Heights”) had posted a film photo of herself in the Batgirl costume on Twitter in January.
The cast also includes “Batman” star Michael Keaton, J.K. Simmons and Brendan Fraser. The superheroine film was directed by Belgian director duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (“Bad Boys for Life”).
The New York Post, citing Hollywood insiders, reported that audience test screenings had been poor. According to “Deadline.com”, the step is said 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 Batgirl character first appeared in comic books in the 1960s. The story of the fictional superhero revolves around Barbara Gordon, daughter of Commissioner James Gordon, the Gotham City Police Commissioner.