You Will Never See ‘Batgirl’ But Warner Bros Will Hold “Funeral Screenings” For Select Cast And Crew
Batgirl is showing this week but you won’t be able to buy a ticket.
Deadline has confirmed that screenings of the movie, unceremoniously shelved before its completion and release by the studio, are being held on the Warners lot this week for a select few. Sources are saying the screenings are for the cast and crew who worked on the film along with reps and studio execs, The showings began Wednesday and will go throughout the week.
The studio officially announced this month that Batgirl would not be released in theaters or any streaming service. Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav said the move was done as a tax write-down as the company looks to make further cuts following the recent merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery.
Leslie Grace was to star as Batgirl in the film which was Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. The film was developed and produced with the plan to bow on HBO Max but scrapped with no plans to show it on any platform or allow another studio to take possession of the film.
El Arbo and Fallah said in a Tuesday interview with French outlet Skript that after the cancellation was announced, the studio prevented them from accessing the pic’s footage after unplugging the movie during post-production.
Fallah said, “I went on the server… Everything was gone.”
El Arbi added: “We were like, ‘F*cking sh*t!’ All the scenes with Batman in them!”
“The guys from Warners told us it was not a talent problem from our part or the actress, or even the quality of the movie,” said El Arbi. He continued, “They told us it was a strategic change. There was new management, and they wanted to save some money.”
In more news sure to endear Warner Bros Discovery to fans, the studio is shifting release dates for several of its DC films, including James Wan’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Jason Momoa’s next turn as the king of the sea is moving from March 17th, 2023 to December 25th, 2023 because the movie needs more time in post-production.
Shazam: Fury of the Gods will take over the March 2023 date from its former December release date. Nothing has been announced as a December replacement for the Shazam sequel.
