Well, it seems a cut of Batgirl still exists after all.
While there are no current plans to release Batgirl in theaters or on HBO Max, THR is reporting that "funeral screenings" of the scrapped movie are being held on the Warner Bros. lot for cast, crew and a number of studio execs.
After these screenings, the movie is expected to be "locked away in a vault, either physical or digital," but the studio may take more drastic measures.
According to the trade's insiders, the Batgirl footage may be physically destroyed "as a way to demonstrate to the IRS that there will never be any revenue from the project, and thus it should be entitled to the full write-down immediately." Others dispute this, and believe WBD may still decide to release the film someday and pay the government back its tax liability.
The first option may prove to be more appealing for David Zaslav and co., however, as it sounds like the studio might be in dire financial straits.
Earlier tonight, the news that both Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and Shazam! Fury of the Gods have been pushed to 2023, and THR's Borys Kit has now shared the following update.
Directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah recently revealed that they attempted to salvage some footage from the movie before finding themselves "locked out" of the servers.
"We were right in the middle of editing, there was still a lot of work to be done,” Fallah explained. “It was not like the movie was finished. But they told us it was a strategic change. New management. And they could save some cash.”
Saving cash does seem to be Warner Bros. Discovery's primary concern at the moment, so don't be surprised if more delays and/or cancellations are announced before the end of the year.