Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Batgirl

  • Leslie Grace Speaks Out on the Cancellation of ‘Batgirl’

    Leslie Grace Speaks Out on the Cancellation of ‘Batgirl’

    During her first major interview after it was announced that Warner Bros. Discovery had decided to cancel the Batgirl movie after the first “disappointing” test screenings, actress Leslie Grace spoke out on how she found out and gave her take on the film.

    The film co-directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah was meant to be released exclusively on HBO Max but then was “promoted” to a theatrical release. Instead of releasing in theaters, the film will never be seen at all as David Zaslav canceled the project and took a $90M tax write-off.

    According to Leslie, she was unaware that the movie, initially slated to be available on HBO Max, had been put on hold until it was reported by the New York Post. “I found out like the rest of you… and then my phone just started blowing up“, explained the actress.

    Leslie and her co-star Brendan Fraser were caught off guard by the news. Fraser recalls his initial reaction was laughing hysterically because he was being pranked. When he became aware of the reality of the situation, Fraser’s thoughts turned towards the loss of a potential icon to a generation of children. “What I find most lamentable,” said Fraser, “is that now a whole generation of little girls are going to have to wait longer to see a Batgirl and say, ‘Hey, she looks like me.’”

    Rumors have swirled that Batgirl was “unreleasable”, though according to Grace, who saw the film in its most complete form it was “incredible.”

    “I got to see the film as far as it got to; the film wasn’t complete by the time that it was tested. There were a bunch of scenes that weren’t even in there. They were at the beginning of the editing process, and they were cut off because of everything going on at the company. But the film that I got to see — the scenes that were there — was incredible. There was definitely potential for a good film, in my opinion. Maybe we’ll get to see clips of it later on.”

    -Leslie Grace
  • New DC Studios co-CEO Says ‘Batgirl’ “Would Have Hurt DC”

    New DC Studios co-CEO Says ‘Batgirl’ “Would Have Hurt DC”

    DC Studios has finally unveiled its plans for the future of the actual DC Cinematic Universe. James Gunn is spearheading various projects alongside his co-CEO Peter Safran. They’re at a crossroads of having to roll out the previous projects that set the bar while also introducing a new era of heroics into the DC Cinematic venture.

    The biggest sacrifice made before they even joined the newly formed DC Studios was Batgirl, an HBO Max original with a promising cast and group of creatives. Many were baffled by the decision to cut a finished film and Safran seems to agree that what he saw from the film was “not releasable.”

    Batgirl’s a character that inevitably we will include in our story. On the Batgirl front, it’s not about late in the process of the film getting canceled. I saw the movie, and there are a lot of incredibly talented people in front of and behind the camera on that film. But that film was not releasable, and it happens sometimes. That film was not releasable. I actually think that [president and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery David] Zaslav and the team made a very bold and courageous decision to cancel it because it would have hurt DC. It would have hurt those people involved

    Peter Safran

    It’s a bit disheartening as a lot of people put a lot of work into this project, but the vagueness of what is and isn’t releasable. Some might argue the same for projects like Black Adam or The Flash surrounded by all its controversy. Yes, it is under new management but the statement is vague enough to open interpretation. Also implying it’ll “hurt DC” seems to add to the confusion given just how messy the past releases have been for the franchise.

    Source: Variety

  • New ‘Batgirl’ BTS Images Offer the Best Look at Brendan Fraser’s Firefly

    New ‘Batgirl’ BTS Images Offer the Best Look at Brendan Fraser’s Firefly

    Batgirl is the project we’ll always wonder what it would’ve been like if it released as initially planned. It’s still bizarre to think that Warner bros. Discovery simply scrapped a near-finished project, especially with the hopes of them building a true DC Cinematic Universe. Sadly, we might never know what Batgirl was going to be like but ever since the cancelation, we’ve been seeing quite a few BTS images make the rounds.

    Just yesterday, its star Leslie Grace shared a look at what her final costume was going to look like. Now, Twitter user @BatgirlFilm which shared quite a few scenes from behind the scenes throughout its production shared another set of photos that include another look at Grace‘s Batgirl costume. That’s not all, as we also get a close-up of what Brendan Fraser‘s Firefly costume was going to be.

    It’s definitely a shame we’ll never truly see what exactly Firefly was going to be capable of, especially with how amazing Brendan Fraser‘s resurgence as an actor has been. We don’t know if they would’ve gone down a very different route with the character as a more redeemable man forced into the position he is in, or if Fraser got the chance to just be a straightforward villain.

    Is there a chance we might see this project released after all? Sadly, as they cut it mid-finalization due to saving tax, they aren’t allowed to produce or release it. Perhaps the new co-CEO James Gunn has a chance to find a workaround to get it back. For now, we can only think of what was.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Batgirl’ Directors Reveal Movie Was Never Completed

    ‘Batgirl’ Directors Reveal Movie Was Never Completed

    Batgirl never made it to theaters but has somehow become one of Warner Bros. Discovery’s most talked-about films. The film, which was directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, was scrapped earlier this year before it had a chance to release and has since developed into one of superhero cinema’s greatest mysteries. While canceling movies isn’t unusual for Hollywood, it is a bit strange to dump a project after it’s completed filming, and fans are desperate to know what they would have seen had Batgirl been made public. Its cast, led by promising newcomer Leslie Grace, featured the grand return of Michael Keaton as Batman and a redemptive villain role for internet darling Brendan Fraser, who is in the midst of an immense career comeback.

    With so much untapped potential in a single project, many hope that Batgirl might one day receive the Zack Snyder’s Justice League treatment and get its time in the spotlight via streaming release. The flames of these desires were stoked by the news that a private screening of the film was held for cast and crew on the Warner Bros. Discovery lot, lending credibility to the idea that a mostly-finished version of Batgirl could exist somewhere in storage. Unfortunately, during a recent conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Arbi and Fallah revealed this was not the case. Speaking candidly, Arbi explained that the footage shown to those involved with the film was totally unfinished, and not even their latest edit.

    While the duo shares the hope that a final cut of the movie can eventually be released, they also say there’s a long way to go before that happens:

    We still needed additional photography, there were a lot of scenes missing, and the VFX was not there. I don’t know if [Warner Bros.] are really gonna go for that, but we’ll see, sometimes we think it’s fucked, but sometimes it’s like … maybe!

    Adil El Arbi

    As previously mentioned, the studio was in a similar boat with Zack Snyder‘s version of Justice League after releasing a heavily edited take by Joss Whedon in theaters instead. Intense internet scrutiny lead to WBD spending quite a bit of additional money to complete Snyder‘s vision and drop it on HBO Max. The payoff wasn’t as large as anticipated, however, which may impact Batgirl‘s odds of a second chance.

    For Arbi and Fallah, this experience of losing a filmed project and not getting it back has been somewhat unreal. The former reminisced on the unfortunate circumstances of their last few years before commenting on Batgirl‘s status:

    You’ve got to imagine, we’re two fanboys, and for one second we were in the Batman universe, following in the footsteps of Zack Snyder and Christopher Nolan, and then it was just like we woke up and it was a dream.

    Adil El Arbi

    Ever upbeat, Arbi does manage to find a silver lining amongst all the disappointment:

    This is something that never happened before, so we’ve kind of become part of movie history without even trying!

    Adil El Arbi

    The duo is now working on their next film, a political thriller titled Rebel.

    Source: THR

  • Directors of Scrapped ‘Batgirl’ Reveal Which Project Would Get them Back at DC

    Directors of Scrapped ‘Batgirl’ Reveal Which Project Would Get them Back at DC

    By now, the sudden and surprising cancellation of Warner Bros. Discovery’s Batgirl film is the stuff of Hollywood legend. Directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, with the likes of Leslie Grace, Michael Keaton, and Brendan Fraser in starring roles, the movie was nearly complete by the time of its now-infamous canning at the hands of new WBD CEO David Zaslav. To make matters worse, the creative duo behind the project were reportedly unaware of its demise before the news broke online, and found out they were unexpectedly unemployed along with everybody else. However, despite the unsavory circumstances surrounding Batgirl‘s end, it would appear Arbi and Fallah are still game to return to WBD’s world of capes and crusaders.

    Speaking exclusively with The Hollywood Reporter, the directors – also known for their work on the hit sequel Bad Boys for Life and Marvel Studios’ Ms. Marvel – revealed that their feelings aren’t hard enough to prevent another collaboration with the studio that blindsided them. Asked directly, Fallah explained a second job with Warner Bros. would come with a very understandable condition:

    Yeah, we’d still work with them. But on the condition that the movie comes out. I mean, if Warner says, ‘Do you want to do the next Batman or Superman?,’ of course we’ll say yes. Just so long as the movie comes out!

    Bilall Fallah

    As for which project specifically the duo would like to take on, a recent post from Arbi on his Instagram stories might hold the answer. Over the weekend, the creative threw some fan art of the cult classic animated series Batman Beyond on his social media with no caption, causing many of his followers to believe he might secretly be working on something inspired by the show.

    In his THR interview, Arbi stated this was not the case, but that he and Fallah would not be opposed to helming an adaptation if an offer was on the table:

    You know, maybe in the future … when Batman is not being made by Matt Reeves … Batman Beyond is really super cool. And I just saw that and thought that’s really badass. So who knows? Maybe in the future one day if they ask us to do that, we wouldn’t say no. But you can dream, right?

    Ail El Arbi

    Batman Beyond was an animated series that ran on WB Kids from 1999 until 2001. It served as a sequel to Bruce Timm‘s iconic Batman: The Animated Series set decades into a sci-fi future where an elderly Bruce Wayne is now retired and mentoring his successor, a young man named Terry McGinnis. Arbi and Fallah have already convinced Michael Keaton to play this version of Wayne once, so perhaps they might one day be able to do it again. Until then, the duo will remain hard at work on their next film – Rebel, a “pacey action thriller about two Muslim Belgian brothers dealing with identity alongside ISIS radicalization and recruitment during the war in Syria“.

    Source: THR

  • Brendan Fraser Calls Cancellation of ‘Batgirl’ “Disappointing”

    Brendan Fraser Calls Cancellation of ‘Batgirl’ “Disappointing”

    We’ve found ourselves smack in a Brendanaissance as Brendan Fraser makes his triumphant return to Hollywood. The actor has been making quite the comeback in the past few years like with DC’s Doom Patrol and has been receiving quite a bit of praise for his work in the upcoming Darren Aronofsky film The Whale. Fans were excited to see Fraser return to the DC Multiverse in an antagonist role for Batgirl, but sadly Warner Brothers Discovery decided to throw a wrench into the plans and cancel the film.

    In an interview with Variety, the actor shared his disappointment in an interview with Variety in regards to the decision, even going as far as to call out Warner Bros. Discovery’s CFO for downplaying the recent events.

    Well stop talking about it because Gunnar Wiedenfels does not want people thinking about this, thats what I read. Its disappointing, the fans really wanted to see this film made. I was there, Leslie Grace is a dynamo, like she’s like a power q-tip, she just goes for it, she looks great in the outfit, the movie itself was shot and conceived for a smaller screen and in this age that we’ve come out of now, between streaming service vs theatrical release, it wound up being the canary in the coal mine. So, what can we learn from this? Work with trusted filmmakers, like Darren [Aronofsky].

    Brendan Fraser

    Fraser was set to play Firefly, a violent arsonist who’d been let down by the system and turned to a life of crime in order to support his family, taking his fiery rage to the streets of Gotham City in order to make ends meet. We can only hope that one day the film somehow sees the light of day, but for now, fans will have to get their fill of Fraser in the DC Universe with Doom Patrol, with a new season coming soon.

    Source: Variety

  • Warner Bros. Discovery Exec Believes ‘Batgirl’ Shelving Was “Blown Out of Proportion” by the Media

    Warner Bros. Discovery Exec Believes ‘Batgirl’ Shelving Was “Blown Out of Proportion” by the Media

    There have been many discussions surrounding the decision of Warner Bros. Discovery in regards to Batgirl, and it seems like their CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels has quite a strong opinion about how it was portrayed online. According to him, it was “blown out of proportion” during the Bank of America Media, Communications, and Entertainment Conference. He had the following to say in regards to how the media has discussed it, as he believes “media likes to talk about media.”

    Media likes to talk about media, I guess. We have healthy relationships with talent, and we are offering one of the best platforms for anyone in the creative space.

    Gunnar Wiedenfels

    It’s certainly a high statement if one considers that Warner Bros. Discovery’s stock fall wasn’t because of a singular film. Plus, it’s vague enough to avoid any of the pitfalls that surrounded osm of the rather questionable decisions made, especially with not naming any talent involved with the project but speaking in broad strokes.

    Wiedenfles highlighted that they’ll continue to conduct “significant investments” on content but there is quite a bit more to this story. The sudden drop of animated originals and original HBO Max films from the platform revealed a rather questionable decision to save on taxes. There has not been a statement on any of the creatives that worked on Batgirl and for now the future still seems quite unsure.

    Source: Deadline

  • Warner Bros. Discovery Held Screenings of ‘Batgirl’ for the Cast and Crew

    Warner Bros. Discovery Held Screenings of ‘Batgirl’ for the Cast and Crew

    Weeks after canceling Batgirl, Warner Bros. Discovery has reportedly held screenings of the film on the studio lot. The news comes courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter, with the outlet reporting that the secret screenings were for people who worked on the film, both cast and crew, as well as representatives and executives. According to the outlet, many have referred to the screenings as “funeral screenings,” held before the film is ultimately locked away forever.

    News of the screenings comes days after directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah revealed they no longer had access to the film. After trying to recover some of the footage from the canceled film, the duo found that everything had been removed from the server. At the time, it was thought the studio had already deleted all footage from Batgirl, that appears to not be the case, though. It’s thought that Warner Bros. Discovery might actually opt to destroy all footage from Batgirl in order to prove to the IRS that the studio will never receive any revenue from the film following the requested tax write-off. Of course, there’s also the potential that the studio will just decide to lock the footage away in a vault, much like with the canceled Game of Thrones spinoff pilot, Bloodmoon.

    In recent weeks, many have speculated whether or not Batgirl could be reborn ala Zack Snyder’s Justice League. However, the latter’s original footage was still accessible by the director after he departed the film due to a personal tragedy. With El Arbi and Fallah no longer having access to their footage, and the film being a tax write-off, that seems incredibly unlikely.

    Source: THR.

  • ‘Batgirl’ Directors Claim Warner Bros. Discovery Deleted All Their Footage

    ‘Batgirl’ Directors Claim Warner Bros. Discovery Deleted All Their Footage

    Probably the single-most talked about film in recent weeks has been Bilall Fallah and Adil El Arbi‘s Batgirl, and unfortunately, it hasn’t been because of anything good. The project was shelved unexpectedly late in its development process by Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, who felt the production was not worth release. Reports have indicated the decision was made final because the film’s cancellation would result in corporate tax write-offs for the company, though Warner Bros. Discovery themselves have claimed the move was instead meant to protect the DC Films brand. Either way, Batgirl has immediately become one of history’s greatest lost films, and according to the directors, it may now be impossible for fans to ever catch a glimpse of what was.

    In a recent Tik Tok interview, translated by The Direct, Fallah candidly revealed that all the footage from Batgirl was destroyed following its cancellation. Fallah revealed he personally attempted to salvage some of his work via cell phone recordings, but he was too late. After being asked if he had any evidence of his time on the film, he explained:

    No, we have nothing. Adil called and told me, ‘Go ahead! Shoot everything on your phone!’ I went on the server… Everything was gone. We were [like]… ‘F**ing shit!’… We did not [even] keep [the scenes] with Batman in it.

    Bilall Fallah

    The film was set to star Leslie Grace as the title character, with Michael Keaton returning to his iconic role as Batman. J.K. Simmons, Brendan Fraser, Jacob Scipio, and Ivory Aquino were also cast in major supporting roles. Fallah went on to state Warner Bros. Discovery had informed himself and El Arbi that none of the talent involved were the reason behind the cancellation:

    The guys from Warner Bros. told us it was not a talent problem on our part or the actress [Leslie Grace], or even the quality of the movie. We were right in the middle of editing. There was a lot of work to get done, so it was not like the movie was finished! Warner Bros. told us the cancellation was a strategic change, a shifting in management so they could save some bucks.

    Bilall Fallah

    The duo did end their interview on a more positive note, however, with El Arbi vocalizing their love for the fans and their hope that Batgirl might still somehow see a release someday. He said in response to the outpouring of fan support online and in person:

    It was very heartwarming… After all, we make movies. And we make it for the audience. Not us. We just hope that one day, the movie can be released.

    Adil El Arbi

    Source: The Direct

  • Warner Bros. Discovery is Hopeful to Keep Leslie Grace as Batgirl

    Warner Bros. Discovery is Hopeful to Keep Leslie Grace as Batgirl

    When Warner Bros. Discovery announced that Batgirl was being shelved earlier this month, the studio suggested it was still keen to work with leading lady Leslie Grace and the film’s directors, Bilall Fallah and Adil El Arbi. While it remains to be seen whether Bilall and Adil reteam with the studio on another DC property, a new report from Variety reaffirms the studio is trying to find a way to keep Grace on board as Batgirl – even if it isn’t in her own film.

    According to the outlet, the newly installed Warner Bros. Pictures Group chiefs, Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy are currently looking to mend fences with the actress. They are said to be considering the possibility of having Grace continue to play Barbara Gordon, a.k.a. Batgirl, in a future DC film. Variety notes this doesn’t necessarily mean in a Batgirl film, either. Grace‘s Batgirl could appear in a future DC film — or the studio could simply find a role for the actress in another Warner Bros. production.

    With an uncertain slate, though, it’s unclear just where Grace could pop up as Batgirl. After all, the only DC film that has an official greenlight is the Joker sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux. While the sequel to The Batman, the Black Canary spinoff, and Wonder Woman 3 is still very much in development, none of them have received a green light from the new Warner Bros. Discovery board. There’s also the matter of if Grace is ready to don the cape and cowl so soon after her film was shelved. Either way, fans eager to see Grace as Batgirl should be excited that there’s still a possibility her Barbara Gordon will show up… somewhere down the road.

    Source: Variety.