Batgirl movie cancelled

Leslie Grace in her Yvonne Craig-inspired Batgirl uniform.

Warner Bros. have apparently decided that their planned Batgirl movie will now never be released, neither through streaming nor in cinemas nor through any other legal format. This is a big surprise; the movie had completed shooting, and was in post-production. It is extremely unusual for a movie to get that far and not actually see any form of release, even if it’s just to sneak it out on DVD. The reasons for scrapping it very from report to report, with some saying that it just wasn’t enough of an ‘event movie’, whatever that means, others saying that it had gone down very badly in test screenings. Variety suggests that the cost of the movie will be written off against tax, which would make it impossible to release legally.

This is a female-led superhero movie, with a Hispanic lead, Leslie Grace, written by a woman, Christina Hodson, and directed by two people, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, of Moroccan descent. That it has been canned must be considered a disappointment in a genre that could use a bit more diversity, particularly in DC movies. It is particularly galling given that Warners still seem intent on releasing The Flash, despite all the legal and ethical clouds hanging around Ezra Miller.

This is a movie that has had a troubled development. It was originally meant to be written and directed by Joss Whedon, as we reported at the time. That didn’t happen, and given some of the things that have subsequently come out about Whedon, I’m glad about that. But I did want to see this movie. It might not have been any good, but I for one would have liked the opportunity to decide for myself.