Because the movie about Batgirl and the future of DC in the cinema and on TV has been canceled
Why the film about Batgirl and the future DC in cinema and on TV has been canceled
The official reasons
After the leak of the news late yesterday evening , Warner Bros. Discovery has released an official statement indicating a change of strategy linked to the DC Universe and the HBO Max platform and that the decision is not linked to either the performance of the protagonist Leslie Grace or the intrinsic quality of the film. Warner Bros. Discovery in this regard has never made a secret, especially after the critical and commercial success of The Batman, of finally wanting to transform DC into a franchise composed mainly of large event films, thus reviewing the related projects on HBO Max. It is also well known that since the birth of Warner Bros. Discovery a few months ago, one of the cornerstones of the new company was a wide-ranging audit.Budget overrun
In this regard, the initial budget allocated for Batgirl was around 70 million dollars. Between reshoots already carried out and delays caused by COVID, the film would currently cost around 90/100 million about half of the budget of the aforementioned The Batman. A disproportionate cost according to Warner Bros. Discovery even compared to the upcoming Black Adam or Shazam! Fury of the Gods which, however, have the thrust of the cinematic launch on their side with the viral campaign and the merchandise generated by them.Regarding the budget spent, it seems that Warner Bros. Discovery passes recover a part of it with a tax write-down or a fiscal maneuver linked to the film industry which however provides that the complete or incomplete film will never generate revenue again. This means that, for example, the film will hardly be presented in the form of a miniseries for streaming. Finally, it should be remembered that, for the same reasons, a film about the Wonder Twins was immediately canceled a few months ago.
Screening tests were not positive
Some scoopers talk about an "unrecoverable" film that would have damaged any future interaction of the DC Universe in theaters and in streaming. To contribute to the company's decision to cancel the film there would also have been the not very positive reception of the aforementioned Ms. Marvel for Disney Plus, other scoopers claim that Warner Bros. Discovery wants to seek an approach as personal as possible for the next projects. | ); } Other sources speak of an unprecedented decision to cancel a virtually complete film worth over 90 million dollars, which could drastically change the film industry.
From the cancellation of Batgirl to the future DC at the cinema and on TV
Although sensational, the cancellation of Batgirl takes place after a long period of total revision of the presence of the DC properties especially on televisions, just think of the dismantling, started last year, of the Arrowverse culminating in the 'announcement of the final season of The Flash just in conjunction with the arrival in the cinemas of The Flash, the film with Ezra Miller that we well know already has to face several problems for the events that extra-sets involving the leading actor. br>What is clearer now, however, is that no project is safe. There is no need to be alarmed but it is also evident that David Zaslav, the president of Warner Bros. Discovery, has in mind a very clear strategy on which to re-establish the DC franchise. It is no coincidence that at the time of his inauguration he had asked where Superman was and specifically Henry Cavill in the projects under development (and of which it was even hoped for a presence at the San Diego Comicon 2022) and it is no coincidence that a few days news of Ben Affleck's return as Batman in Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom leaked.
If Batgirl has been canceled, projects such as the Black Canary film with Jurnee Smollett (the version of the character as introduced in Birds of Prey) or the Green Lantern series are unlikely to see the light. which filming should have already started but of which there is currently no news. The only film currently "safe" is Blue Beetle because it is so far in budget and presents a version of the character already present in other media (Jaime Reyes has appeared for example in all the latest animated series) and more marketable already having a greater appeal .
In all of this, TV series like Stargirl, Superman & Lois, Doom Patrol and Titans remain in the balance, halfway or so between the new approach and the old. It's unlikely that all of them will have a long life anyway.
There is an air of change in DC and Warner Bros. Discovery: let's just hope that these sudden and unexpected decisions like the cancellation of Batgirl really serve to make the future more coherent of the DC universe in cinema and on TV. Once again, it is not a question of copying the mammoth project of competition (a useless run-up which has already proved deleterious once) but rather of concentrating all economic and creative efforts so that the response from the public and critics is as unanimous and positive as possible.
It is a long and winding road, and certainly more crowded than a decade ago, but not impossible to follow: the potential, the performers and above all valid material to bring to the small and big screen are there.
