Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav's decision to shelve Batgirl when it was already so deep into post-production did not sit well with anyone at the time, but comments from DC Studios co-head Peter Safran during the recent DCU slate reveal did seem to confirm reports that the movie simply wasn't good enough for a theatrical release.
Safran claimed that Batgirl "was not releasable," and that he felt "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."
Of course, everyone is going to have their own opinion about what constitutes a well-made film, and star Leslie Grace has a very different take.
Though the actress admits that she didn't get to see a final cut (which still doesn't exist), she says the version she did get to watch was "incredible."
"That’s the one thing I asked for," Grace told Variety when asked if she ever got to see the movie. "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.
Grace says she hasn't spoken to Safran or James Gunn, but did have conversations with Pam Abdy and Mike De Luca about potentially returning as Barbara Gordon down the line.
"We’ve definitely had conversations about Batgirl’s future and how Batgirl can make a resurgence. I think fans are looking forward to seeing that. We’ll just see where that takes us; I can’t say one way or the other if that is a reality at this point. I can’t speak too much about a future for Bat- girl or guarantee anything. The last thing that I would want to do is give folks any kind of inkling of something that I have not much control over — as we’ve learned."
With the DCU under new management, we're not sure those earlier talks will still carry much weight, but hopefully Grace gets the chance to suit-up as Batgirl once plans for The Brave and the Bold begin to take shape.