As is so often the case with matters in Hollywood, we may never know the true story behind Batgirl's cancellation. The gist appears to be that, as Warner Bros. Discovery shifts gears, the movie was deemed too expensive for streaming and not cinematic enough for theaters.
We've heard that Batgirl's sole test screening saw it score similar to Shazam! Fury of the Gods, prompting fans to wonder why the studio wouldn't look to recoup its costs with a theatrical release. After all, even with a modest $300 million box office haul, it would surely still have been worth completing and promoting the movie.
CEO David Zaslav has other ideas, though, and this latest news is sure to once again frustrate fans.
According to Fandango's Erik Davis and The Wrap's Umberto Gonzalez, that supposed bad test screening saw Batgirl score the same as the director's cut of Black Adam. That movie will have obviously been through some changes since then, but should it receive negative reviews later this year, expect a lot of critics to ask why it deserved to be released and Batgirl didn't!
There are some noteworthy differences between the two movies, of course. For starters, Dwayne Johnson is a huge star and Black Adam is clearly a big budget, flashy blockbuster in the making. Batgirl, on the other hand, was much smaller in scale and despite including names like Michael Keaton and J.K. Simmons, it's unlikely to have been as big a draw as Black Adam's debut.
It's a shame about Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah's movie, but it is what it is at this point. Warner Bros. Discovery is unlikely to change course, so short of a leak, Batgirl will remain on the shelf.
From New Line Cinema, Dwayne Johnson stars in the action-adventure Black Adam under the direction of Jaume Collet-Serra (Jungle Cruise). Nearly 5,000 years after he was bestowed with the almighty powers of the ancient gods - and imprisoned just as quickly - Black Adam (Johnson) is freed from his earthly tomb, ready to unleash his unique form of justice on the modern world.
Johnson stars alongside Aldis Hodge (One Night in Miami) as Hawkman, Noah Centineo (To All the Boys I've Loved Before) as Atom Smasher, Sarah Shahi (Sex/Life) as Adrianna, Marwan Kenzari (Murder on the Orient Express) as Ishmael, Quintessa Swindell (Trinkets) as Cyclone, Bodhi Sabongui (A Million Little Things) as Amon, and Pierce Brosnan (James Bond) as Dr. Fate.
Black Adam will electrify audiences in theaters when it's released on October 21, later this year!