5 Reasons Why Warner Bros Could Have Cancelled 'Batgirl' Ahead Of Its Release
Lights! Cameras! And CANCELLED! Earlier this week, DC fans mourned the loss of Warner Bros. Batgirl. The film was slated to star Leslie Grace as Batgirl, alongside Michael Keaton returning as Batman. The film was in post-production and had already committed 90 million dollars to the project.
So what happened? Was it a government conspiracy or simply a strategic move for the DC universe? Here are five plausible speculations as to the cancellation of Batgirl.
5. The Merger
Earlier this week, we learned that HBO Max and Warner Bros. Discovery+ would be merging by the summer of 2023. Based on the almost eerie timing and cancellation of Batgirl, this merger begs the question: did Warner Bros. insist on the cancelation of the unreleased film? We will never know for sure, but the timing points to some relationship between the merger and cancelation.
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4. Money Goes “Bye Bye”
As with everything in this world, money can, in fact, make the world turn. There is some evidence to support that the 90-million-dollar project simply was not funded for a theatrical release, and a straight-to-streaming release would not be lucrative financially. The possibility of reshoots would also put the studio in the red. While it seems logical, this explanation simply reeks of poor planning and is a less likely scenario.
3. The Return of “Batfleck”
DC is not known to be incredibly fluid in its creation of superhero blockbuster films. The return of Michael Keaton as the Batman awakens every thirty-something year old’s senses that use to run around their childhood neighborhood pretending to be the caped crusader (We may have all been grounded for trying to “bat boomerang” the next-door neighbor, or maybe I had a rough childhood). However nostalgic this is, the rumored return of “Batfleck,” which is the reincarnation of Batman under the helm of Ben Affleck, does pose another interesting theory. Did upper management “can” Batgirl for storyboard sake? Is DC finally making fluid choices for a stable universe?
2. Government Conspiracy
There is absolutely no evidence of a government conspiracy. However, bacteria on Mars do exist. The Illuminati appears to be pulling strings ever since Kanye West stole Taylor Swift’s trophy years ago. Does a secret government agency have a hand in this decision or are we just desperate for answers to something we will never understand? While these are all fun questions to contemplate, the truth is this theory is based on good humor.
1. Low Audience Test Score
Michael Keaton is a god. I would worship him at the altar of everything that is good. But according to GamesRadar.com, this was not enough for a majority of testing fans. While this is the most likely of the scenarios or at least a deciding factor, “test audiences” rated Batgirl in the 60s. While this is comparable to Shazam, without the money for reshoots or the will to live, Batgirl is dead.
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Source(s): GamesRadar+, GQ