Michael Keaton Assumes Cancelling ‘Batgirl’ Was A Good Business Decision

HBO Max’s Batgirl movie, which was filmed and entered post-production, was shockingly canceled. Fans will never get to (legally) see Batgirl after Warner Bros. Discovery+ decided to permanently shelve the highly-anticipated movie. Now, Batman actor Michael Keaton has finally spoken out about WB dropping the Batgirl film.

Keaton initially played Batman in Tim Burton’s 1989 big-screen franchise-launcher Batman, and he reprised the role for the sequel Batman Returns. Other actors took Keaton’s place in subsequent Batman movies, and Keaton himself appeared to have moved on from superhero films forever, but the allure of Batman proved too powerful for Keaton, who later signed on for roles in both Batgirl and The Flash.

For his part, Keaton had kept silent about the decision to cancel Batgirl, until finally breaking his silence backstage at last night’s Emmys, where he won an award for his role in Dopesick. Variety reported that Keaton said, “I think it was a business decision. I’m going to assume it was a good one.” He added, “I really don’t know.” Keaton’s brief and rather bland remarks come after much stronger reactions from others involved in the Batgirl film. 

Directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah were understandably disappointed, expressing their “shock and sadness” at the cancellation while praising Keaton and the rest of the ensemble for their efforts. Keaton, for his part, sent El Arbi and Fallah a signed copy of the official Batman Returns book with the inscription “Had fun! ” In the meantime Batgirl star Leslie Grace made her own upbeat statement.

Fans may have wished for Keaton to come out more strongly in favor of Batgirl, but it’s clear the movie’s cancelation barely represents a speed bump for him along the long road of his career. Keaton of course is still coming back for The Flash, so fans will still get to see him don the cowl again, unless something disastrous happens with that movie too. Stay tuned to Thirsty for further updates.

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