Batgirl (Film)

Batgirl is the canceled Warner Bros Discovery live-action feature film, which had been developed for HBO Max, based on the DC Comics character of the same name.

Leslie Grace (In the Heights) was set to play the lead role of Barbara Gordon, aka Batgirl. Brendan Fraser was attached to play the primary villain, which is rumored to be Firefly. J.K. Simmons was reprising his DC Extended Universe role of Commissioner Gordon. Michael Keaton had also been listed among the cast in Warner Bros. press materials, presumably playing Bruce Wayne. Other cast members included Jacob Scipio, Ivory Aquino, Rebecca Front, Corey Johnson and Ethan Kai.

Directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (Bad Boys For Life) were directing the film from a script by Christina Hodson. Natalie Holt (Loki) was providing the music for the film.

The movie was being done as an HBO Max feature with Kristin Burr producing.

In August 2022, a fairly shocking report came that the newly-merged Warner Bros. Discovery had decided to shelve the project, refusing to release it on the streamer or anywhere else. This decision came months after the film wrapped principal photography, was well into post-production, and was rapidly approaching its projected streaming release. Insiders claim that the movie was out of sync with the new management's branding for DC Comics-based films, which are now meant to exclusively be theatrical, big-budget, tentpole spectacles.

Follow-up reports also cited a rapidly-closing window for the company to take advantage of "purchasing accounting." This financial maneuver allowed WBD to write down losses from the merge for a tax advantage. The decision to cancel Batgirl, as well as the in-development Scoob! Holiday Haunt, had to be made before the opportunity window closed in mid-August.