Earlier tonight, we learned that Warner Bros. Discovery has decided to scrap the Batgirl movie completely. The project was in the late stages of post-production and very close to being finished, but is not expected to see the light of day on HBO Max or in theaters.
The news came as a shock, with many fans wondering why Batgirl was pulled while The Flash is still on track for a theatrical debut when star Ezra Miller has been accused of all manner of disturbing behaviour over the past few months.
Well, it sounds like the movie's future may not be as secure as we'd been led to believe.
Despite a recent update claiming that WB was still committed to releasing The Flash, Variety's report on the Batgirl story mentions that the studio "is still contending with what to do about The Flash,” which has been "utterly hamstrung by repeated allegations of abuse and misconduct by its star, Ezra Miller."
Warners is maintaining that Batgirl being shelved has nothing to do with the film's quality and is simply a casualty of the studio's commitment to focusing on theatrical content, but whatever excuse they're using, the move has been met with a lot of confusion and backlash.
Deadline's Justin Kroll added the following update to his report.
This is obviously a very difficult situation for WB and everyone involved with The Flash. Even if they do decide to sever their relationship with Miller going forward, it would be next to impossible to replace them in the lead role without reshooting the entire movie. The nature of DC's take on the Multiverse does give them the option of casting a new actor as Barry Allen down the line, but it leaves the fate of this film up in the air for the time being.