DC Star Reveals the Real Tragedy of the Scrapped Movie He Filmed for WB (And He’s Right)

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The DC movie universe has had a turbulent ten years, but things are finally improving with the initial successes of the new direction led by James Gunn and Peter Safran. It’s particularly disappointing because a completed film from the previous era was cancelled before anyone could see it, and now one of its stars has shared what they feel was the most upsetting part of the whole ordeal.

Back in 2022, Warner Bros. Discovery unexpectedly cancelled the finished movie Batgirl, primarily to save money through a tax break. The film starred Leslie Grace as Batgirl and Brendan Fraser as the villain, Firefly. In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Fraser spoke about the decision, calling it a loss for young girls who deserved to have such a strong heroine to admire. He felt the studio prioritized financial gain over sharing the film with audiences.

When asked about the decision to cancel the finished Batgirl movie and what that said about the film industry, Fraser explained it was a huge undertaking – a four-story production in Glasgow that he enjoyed visiting. He was particularly saddened by the loss of a relatable role model for young girls, saying, ‘There’s a generation who won’t have a heroine who looks like them.’ He also pointed out the irony of bringing back Michael Keaton as Batman, highlighting the potential that Batgirl had.

Fraser explained that creating content is becoming so cheap and easy that it’s sometimes more profitable to simply abandon it and collect insurance money than to actually try and succeed with it. He suggested the system is essentially destroying itself.

The movie Batgirl was approved under Warner Bros.’ previous strategy for streaming content, intended to be a major release directly to HBO Max and part of a larger plan for similar films. However, when David Zaslav became CEO, the company shifted away from prioritizing streaming and focused on reducing its debt, leading to changes in the film’s fate.

The movie Batgirl was ultimately canceled and treated as a financial loss for tax purposes. Reports indicate the film cost about $90 million to produce, especially with delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and canceling it saved the studio an estimated $15 to $20 million. Some believe the movie could have earned a similar amount in theaters if it had been released, which is at the heart of the debate surrounding its cancellation.

James Safran, the film’s producer, surprisingly claimed the movie was “not releasable” and better suited for television (according to IndieWire). This contradicts reports that the decision to cancel the film wasn’t about its quality. People involved with the project, like Brendan Fraser, believe it would have been successful if released. Many feel it’s unlikely Batgirl could be worse than The Flash, which received a full theatrical release.

It looks like fans likely won’t be able to see the Batgirl movie, despite the studio changing its mind and allowing the release of another previously cancelled film, Coyote vs. Acme. While Coyote vs. Acme found a new distributor with Ketchup Entertainment, that doesn’t appear to be happening for Batgirl.

It would be wonderful to see Grace and Fraser involved in a future Batgirl movie, but for now, we’ll have to wait and see how the character and casting develop.

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2025-11-22 04:12