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The new Batgirl movie has been scrapped by Warner Bros Discovery months before its planned release.<\/p>\n
Reportedly budgeted at more than $70m (\u00a358m), it was due to be shown in cinemas and on the streaming service HBO Max later this year.<\/p>\n
The New York Post reported that the decision had followed a\u00a0poor reaction to test screenings.<\/p>\n
However, Warner Bros said the move reflected its \u201cleadership\u2019s strategic shift\u201d.<\/p>\n
The production was filmed entirely in Glasgow and the local council said it had brought a significant economic benefit to the city.<\/p>\n
The film was based on the DC Comics character Barbara Gordon \u2013 or Batgirl \u2013 played by Leslie Grace.<\/p>\n She appeared alongside Michael Keaton as Batman, Brendan Fraser as villain Firefly and JK Simmons as Commissioner James Gordon.<\/p>\n Warner Bros also confirmed that Scoob! Holiday Haunt would be scrapped.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for the firm said: \u201cThe decision to not release Batgirl reflects our leadership\u2019s strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max.<\/p>\n \u201cLeslie Grace is an incredibly talented actor and this decision is not a reflection of her performance.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are incredibly grateful to the filmmakers of Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt and their respective casts and we hope to collaborate with everyone again in the near future.\u201d<\/p>\n The unusual move follows a change in leadership after Warner Bros merged with Discovery in May 2021, with David Zaslav its new CEO.<\/p>\n According to the\u00a0Hollywood Reporter, Zaslav has prioritised cost-cutting measures and refocusing the company on creating theatrical films rather than projects for streaming.<\/p>\n Analysis by Steven McIntosh, entertainment reporter<\/strong><\/p>\n Films run into all kinds of issues while they\u2019re being made. Projects jump from one studio to another, directors and actors come and go, and scripts often get stuck in what\u2019s known as \u201cdevelopment hell\u201d for years before the cameras start rolling.<\/p>\n But what\u2019s happened with Batgirl is much more unusual. When a film is already in the can, and $70m (\u00a358m) has been spent, it\u2019s extremely rare for it not to even see the light of day.<\/p>\n The film reportedly had not tested well with audiences in early screenings. To a certain extent, this isn\u2019t unusual for a big action movie \u2013 the special effects often aren\u2019t finished at the time the test screenings take place, which reduces viewers\u2019 enthusiasm.<\/p>\n But a film company will still have a sense of whether or not they\u2019re on to a winner. In this case, it seems Batgirl was caught in the middle \u2013 not thought to be worthy of a cinema release, but equally not financially viable to release only on streaming. Shelving it means the company won\u2019t have to carry the losses on its books.<\/p>\n There is also a strategic change at parent company Warner Discovery, which has decided to no longer produce big-budget blockbusters solely for HBO Max, the streaming service it owns.<\/p>\n That\u2019s a significant change from the \u201cday and date\u201d strategy adopted by the previous WarnerMedia CEO, which saw big blockbusters released on streaming at the same time as theatres.<\/p>\n That might have made sense following the pandemic, but many are now starting to push back, and fight for the more traditional theatrical window. <\/p>\n Particularly in a summer where films, such as Top Gun: Maverick, have been making huge amounts of money at the box office and enjoying the cultural relevance a cinema release brings with it.<\/p>\n Batgirl was offered \u00a3150,000 by Glasgow City Council as an incentive to film in the area but it has not been paid.<\/p>\n At the time Screen Scotland said any production given public money was expected to hire locally.<\/p>\n Filming began at the end of 2021 and continued until March.<\/p>\n A local authority spokesman said Batgirl\u2019s filming had brought a very significant economic benefit to the city \u2013 including 450 Glasgow-based crew jobs, about 1,300 Scottish supporting artists and many subcontractors working as tradespeople and in traffic management and security.<\/p>\n He added: \u201cAny decision on the release of the production is very much a matter for Warner Bros. The \u00a3150,000 grant support has not been paid, and discussions continue with the producers.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div>\n![\"Actress](\"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/_126183338_hi073085159.jpg\" "\\"Batgirl")
![\"Batgirl](\"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/_126184748_gettyimages-1365602878.jpg\" "\\"Batgirl")
\u2018Extremely rare\u2019<\/h2>\n
![\"Batgirl](\"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/_126184347_hi073201862.jpg\" "\\"Batgirl")
![\"2px](\"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/_105894347_grey_line-nc.png\" "\\"Batgirl")
<\/figure>\n![\"Batgirl](\"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/_126184747_gettyimages-1365603138.jpg\" "\\"Batgirl")
<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\nThe films that were never seen by audiences<\/h2>\n
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It was one of many ideas put forward for the film, with Smith\u2019s script thrown out by director Tim Burton \u2013 who also chose Nicolas Cage to be the film\u2019s leading man.
More than $10m (\u00a37.18m) of pre-production money was invested in Superman Lives but Warner Bros\u00a0cancelled the operation three weeks before shooting\u00a0was due to begin \u2013 one documentary suggested it was because of a series of big-budget flops that the company made in 1997.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
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