Warner Bros. Discovery Cancels HBO Max ‘Batgirl’ Movie

HBO Max’s Batgirl movie, which was filmed and entered post-production, is now, shockingly, canceled. This was a huge investment that they put down that they are not going to cash in on.

A new report in The New York Post explains that the movie won’t be coming out at all. The film will not get a theatrical release or even a streaming release on HBO Max. It will simply be canceled, despite the fact that it is already finished.

Batgirl tested very poorly with preview audiences that “the studio decided to cut its losses and run, for the sake of the brand’s future.” The outlet’s unnamed source added that “They think an unspeakable Batgirl is going to be irredeemable.”

The Wrap added more fuel to the report with its own information, suggesting that Warner Bros. is focused on big screen blockbusters that are seen as “big theatrical event films,” and the studio doesn’t see Batgirl as that kind of event.

Even though the film received a higher budget and reshoots, the leaders at Warner Bros. didn’t believe these efforts worked to improve the film. The report noted that the studio does want to work with lead actress Leslie Grace and directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah down the road.

The Hollywood Reporter also stated that the move comes due to Warner Bros. Discovery’s new CEO David Zaslav wanting to cut costs and the company’s new strategy of viewing big-budget films as not suitable for streaming exclusively. The animated film Scoob!: Holiday Haunt is now canceled as well.

Deadline also confirmed the report, stating that the movie will not be released on any platform. The film was set to be another piece of DC’s growing Multiversal storyline with the inclusion of Michael Keaton’s Batman. The film’s directors spoke exclusively with The Direct about how their film would tie together so much of DC’s film history.

The decision is sure to bring backlash for many fans regarding what Warner Bros. will do with its future of the DCEU. The movies will all almost certainly be of the same scale as Black Adam, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, and The Flash.

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