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Revision as of 12:11, 3 August 2022

Batgirl
Promotional logo
Directed byAdil El Arbi
Bilall Fallah
Screenplay byChristina Hodson
Based on
Batgirl
by
Produced byKristin Burr
Starring
CinematographyJohn Mathieson
Music byNatalie Holt
Production
companies
Distributed byHBO Max
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$90 million[1]

Batgirl is an unreleased American superhero film based on the DC Comics character Barbara Gordon / Batgirl. Produced by Burr! Productions and DC Films for the streaming service HBO Max, it was intended to be an installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The film was directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah from a screenplay by Christina Hodson, and starred Leslie Grace as Batgirl, alongside J. K. Simmons, Jacob Scipio, Brendan Fraser, and Michael Keaton. The film has now been cancelled along with 2 other DC movies that were set to release on HBO Max.[2]

Development of a Batgirl feature film began with Joss Whedon in March 2017, but he left the project a year later. Hodson was hired to write a new script in April 2018, with El Arbi and Fallah hired to direct in May 2021 when the film was confirmed as an HBO Max original. Grace was cast that July, and filming took place in Glasgow, Scotland, from November 2021 to March 2022. In August 2022, DC Films and HBO Max parent Warner Bros. Discovery announced that, while the film was close to completion, they no longer planned to release it on HBO Max or theatrically due to the studio's cost-cutting measures and refocus on theatrical DC features.

Cast

  • Leslie Grace as Barbara Gordon / Batgirl:
    A vigilante in Gotham City and the daughter of police commissioner James Gordon.[3] Grace said that "[t]here's not a lot of nuances in her thinking at the beginning of the story" and that she "[vacillates] between the nuances of life and good and bad and black and white and that there so much in between", but that the character would "discover a lot about parts of herself" throughout the story that cause her to change her worldview.[4][5]
  • J. K. Simmons as James Gordon:
    The commissioner of Gotham City Police Department, Barbara's father, and a close ally of Batman.[6] Simmons said the film would explore the character outside of his job as commissioner, showing "much more of a domestic aspect of Jim Gordon" through his relationship with Barbara.[7]
  • Jacob Scipio as Anthony Bressi:
    A mob boss in Gotham City.[8][9]
  • Brendan Fraser as Ted Carson / Firefly:
    A disgruntled veteran who became a sociopathic pyromaniac.[10] Fraser said that Carson had an original backstory, rather than being adapted from a previous version of the character.[11]
  • Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne / Batman:
    A wealthy socialite from an alternate universe of Gotham City who moonlights as a crimefighting vigilante.[12]
  • Ivory Aquino as Alysia Yeoh:
    A bartender and Barbara's best friend.[13]

Additionally, Rebecca Front, Corey Johnson, and Ethan Kai were cast in undisclosed roles, with Kai being referred to as a "leading" character.[14]

Production

Development

In May 2016, the DC Comics character Barbara Gordon / Batgirl had the potential to appear in a female superhero team-up film starring Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn,[15] which became Birds of Prey (2020). Batgirl was ultimately not included in the film due to the development of a solo film starring the character.[16] Joss Whedon was hired in March 2017 to write, direct, and produce the solo film, which was being overseen by Warner Bros. Pictures president Toby Emmerich and DC Films chairmen Jon Berg and Geoff Johns.[17] Whedon was to begin production on the film in 2018,[18] but left the project in February 2018 after being unable to come up with a story for it. There was also additional scrutiny on Whedon as a male director of a female-focused film,[19] with Warner Bros. and new DC Films president Walter Hamada planning at that point to replace Whedon with a female filmmaker.[20]

Birds of Prey writer Christina Hodson was hired to write a new screenplay for Batgirl in April 2018,[21] and was expected to begin writing the film after completing her work on another DC Extended Universe (DCEU) film, The Flash (2023).[22] In December 2020, Batgirl was listed as a film that could potentially be released exclusively on the streaming service HBO Max, rather than in theaters, as part of Hamada's new plan for the DCEU,[23] and in April 2021 it was included on DC's slate of films that were expected to be released in 2022 or 2023.[24] Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, both of whom were longtime fans of the character,[25] were hired to direct the film a month later, when it was confirmed to be planned as an HBO Max original. Kristin Burr was producing the film by that time, and said the directors were bringing an excited energy that would make the film a "fun ride" and show a different side of Gotham City from previous DC projects.[26]

In April 2022, following the WarnerMedia merger with Discovery and the fall in stock prices for Netflix driven by decreased subscribers, executives at Warner Bros. were reportedly considering a switch for the film from a streaming release with a budget of around $70 million to a theatrical release with increased budget for post-production and a larger marketing push.[27]

Casting

DC executives began testing actresses for Batgirl in the week of July 19, 2021, with the group reportedly including Isabela Merced, Zoey Deutch, Leslie Grace, and Haley Lu Richardson;[28] Richardson and Grace were considered to be the top contenders.[29] Richardson went through several stages of auditioning,[30] but Grace was cast in the role on July 21.[3] By July 29, J. K. Simmons was in talks to reprise his role as Batgirl's father, Commissioner Gordon, from Justice League (2017) and its 2021 director's cut.[31] Simmons was confirmed to be reprising his role for the film in October.[6]

Also in October, Jacob Scipio and Brendan Fraser joined the cast,[8] the latter as the villain Firefly. Fraser previously portrayed Cliff Steele / Robotman in the DC Comics television series Doom Patrol.[10] Though it was initially reported that Fraser would portray the Garfield Lynns iteration, he later clarified in July 2022 that he was playing the Ted Carson iteration, with an original backstory not adapted from existing material.[11] The villain role was originally offered to Sylvester Stallone, who voiced King Shark in the DCEU film The Suicide Squad (2021), but "things just didn't work out".[32][33] Scipio portrays mob boss Anthony Bressi in the film.[9]

El Arbi and Fallah said Batman would appear in the film but declined to confirm if Ben Affleck would reprise his role from previous DCEU projects.[34] In December, Michael Keaton was revealed to be appearing in Batgirl, reprising his role as Batman from the films Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992).[12] Keaton had been expected to first reprise the role for the DCEU in The Flash prior to that film's delay to 2023.[35] Rebecca Front, Corey Johnson, Ethan Kai, and Ivory Aquino also joined the cast,[14][13] with Aquino playing Alysia Yeoh, the first major transgender character in a DC film.[13]

Filming

Principal photography began in Glasgow, doubling for Gotham City, on November 30, 2021,[36] under the working title Cherry Hill.[37][38][39] John Mathieson serves as cinematographer.[40] El Arbi and Fallah had arrived in Glasgow on August 24 to prepare for filming, and scouted locations with production designer Christopher Glass. Glasgow was previously used to depict Gotham City in The Flash as well as the non-DCEU film The Batman (2022).[37][38] Filming officially wrapped on March 31, 2022.[41]

Music

Natalie Holt announced in September 2021 that she would compose the score.[42]

Marketing

El Arbi, Fallah, Hodson, and Grace promoted the film at the virtual DC FanDome event in October 2021, where they discussed their preparation for filming and revealed concept art.[6][43] Grace revealed a first look at herself in costume as Batgirl in January 2022.[44]

Canceled release

In August 2022, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) announced that they no longer planned to release the film on HBO Max or theatrically,[1][45][46][47] despite its planned release in 2022 on HBO Max,[46] making the film "effectively dead". TheWrap reported that the company felt the film "simply did not work" and went against the new desire and mandate from CEO David Zaslav to make DC films "big theatrical event films". Despite this, the company hoped to work on other projects with El Arbi and Fallah and Grace.[1] Collider added that viewers of some of the first test screenings described the film as "a huge disappointment and looked cheap in comparison to other films", which could have been a factor in Warner Bros. Discovery's decision;[48] Variety denied the notion that the quality of the film factored into the decision,[45] reaffirming, along with The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline Hollywood, that it was part of the studio's larger cost-cutting measures, given the budget increased from its initial $70 million to $90 million, and the desire for DC films to be theatrical blockbusters.[45][46][47] A subsequent Variety report indicated that, according to sources within WBD, the company had concluded that writing off the movie for a tax break would be the most "financially sound" way of recouping Batgirl's costs, as opposed to either moving the film to a theatrical release with additional investment, selling it to another distributor, or even releasing it as-is on HBO Max.[49]

Prior to the film's cancellaton, Grace and Margot Robbie both expressed interest on a crossover between Batgirl and Robbie's Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn.[50][51] Grace said in April 2022 that there were discussions between the crew regarding the plot for a Batgirl sequel, but whether a sequel was greenlit would have depended on the film's reception upon release.[52]

References

  1. ^ a b c Gonzalez, Umberto (August 2, 2022). "'Batgirl' Won't Fly: Warner Bros. Discovery Has No Plans to Release Nearly Finished $90 Million Film". TheWrap. Archived from the original on August 2, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  2. ^ "Batgirl movie scrapped months before planned release". 3rd of August, 2022. {{cite web}}: |first= missing |last= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ a b Couch, Aaron; Kit, Borys (July 21, 2021). "'Batgirl' Casts 'In The Heights' Star Leslie Grace as Superhero". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 21, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
  4. ^ "Leslie Grace Just Dished Out Some Sweet Batgirl Scoop". E! Online. April 16, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  5. ^ "Batgirl Star Leslie Grace Teases New Story Details For Upcoming DC Movie". ScreenRant. April 17, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c Couch, Aaron (October 16, 2021). "'The Batman' Trailer Closes Out DC FanDome Following Looks at 'The Flash,' 'Aquaman 2'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 16, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  7. ^ "Batgirl Movie Will Show Different Sides Of Commissioner Gordon, Says Star". ScreenRant. May 18, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Kroll, Justin (October 18, 2021). "Jacob Scipio To Co-Star Opposite Leslie Grace In Warner Bros. and DC's 'Batgirl'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 18, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  9. ^ a b Bricker, Tierney (April 16, 2022). "Leslie Grace Just Dished Out Some Sweet Batgirl Scoop". E! News. Archived from the original on April 16, 2022. Retrieved April 16, 2022. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; April 17, 2022 suggested (help)
  10. ^ a b Rubin, Rebecca (October 25, 2021). "Brendan Fraser to Play Villain in 'Batgirl' Movie". Variety. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  11. ^ a b Gelman, Samuel (July 31, 2022). "Batgirl: Brendan Fraser's Firefly Reportedly a New Take on the Classic Character". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  12. ^ a b Kit, Borys; Counch, Aaron (December 22, 2021). "Michael Keaton Joining 'Batgirl'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  13. ^ a b c Grobar, Matt (January 24, 2022). "'Batgirl': Ivory Aquino To Play Alysia Yeoh In HBO Max Movie". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; January 25, 2022 suggested (help)
  14. ^ a b Kit, Borys (January 13, 2022). "HBO Max's 'Batgirl' Movie Adds Rebecca Front, Corey Johnson, and Ethan Kai (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 13, 2022. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  15. ^ Kit, Borys (May 16, 2016). "Harley Quinn Movie in the Works at Warner Bros. With Margot Robbie (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 17, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  16. ^ Brail, Nathaniel (December 9, 2019). "'Birds of Prey' Producer Sue Kroll On Batgirl Appearing In The Film". Heroic Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  17. ^ McNary, Dave (March 30, 2017). "'Batgirl' Movie: Joss Whedon to Direct Standalone Film". Variety. Archived from the original on March 30, 2017. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  18. ^ San Diego Comic Con 2017: Exclusive Access & Interviews – IGN Live. YouTube. July 21, 2017. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  19. ^ Kit, Borys (February 22, 2018). "Joss Whedon Exits 'Batgirl' Movie (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 22, 2018. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  20. ^ Sneider, Jeff (February 22, 2018). "Joss Whedon Exits DC's "Batgirl" Movie: "I Really Didn't Have a Story"". The Tracking Board. Archived from the original on February 22, 2018. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  21. ^ Kit, Borys (April 9, 2018). "'Batgirl' Movie Back On, Now With 'Bumblebee' Writer (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 9, 2018. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  22. ^ Brent, Lang; Kroll, Justin (November 26, 2019). "DC Films Plots Future With Superman, Green Lantern and R-Rated Movies". Variety. Archived from the original on May 13, 2020. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  23. ^ Barnes, Brooks (December 27, 2020). "Managing Movie Superheroes Is About to Get a Lot More Complicated". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 28, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  24. ^ Couch, Aaron; Kit, Borys (April 1, 2021). "Ava DuVernay's 'New Gods,' James Wan's 'The Trench' DC Movies Not Moving Forward at Warner Bros. (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 2, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  25. ^ "Ms. Marvel Directors Compare Working on MCU Show & DC's Batgirl". ScreenRant. June 5, 2022.
  26. ^ Kit, Borys (May 19, 2021). "'Bad Boys for Life' Filmmakers to Direct 'Batgirl' Movie for Warner Bros. (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 19, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  27. ^ Belloni, Matthew (April 24, 2022). "Have Movie Theaters Gotten Their Mojo Back?". Puck. Archived from the original on April 25, 2022. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
  28. ^ Kroll, Justin (July 19, 2021). "'Batgirl': Talent Lines Up To Test For Barbara Gordon Role". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 19, 2021. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  29. ^ Gonzalez, Umberto (July 19, 2021). "'Batgirl': Haley Lu Richardson & Leslie Grace Are Favorites to Star as Barbara Gordon for HBO Max". TheWrap. Archived from the original on July 20, 2021. Retrieved July 19, 2021. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; July 19, 2021 suggested (help)
  30. ^ Davids, Brian (March 14, 2022). "Haley Lu Richardson on 'After Yang' and Her Brush with Batgirl". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 14, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  31. ^ Kit, Borys; Galuppo, Mia (July 29, 2021). "'Batgirl' Movie: J. K. Simmons in Talks to Return to Batman Universe as Commissioner Gordon (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 29, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  32. ^ Kit, Borys [@Borys_Kit] (October 25, 2021). "Sylvester Stallone first had the offer for the part but things just didn't work out. Another key role in Batgirl: the son of the gangster/villain, who becomes romantically linked to...well, you can take it from there" (Tweet). Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2021 – via Twitter.
  33. ^ Peters, Jay (March 26, 2021). "The Suicide Squad's first trailer steals all the color from the Snyder Cut". The Verge. Archived from the original on March 27, 2021. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  34. ^ Van Gils, Lieven (October 14, 2021). "Adil El Arbi en Bilall Fallah verklappen op Film Fest Gent: "Zo zal onze Batgirl eruitzien"". VRT NWS. Archived from the original on October 15, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  35. ^ Hood, Cooper (March 9, 2022). "The Flash & Michael Keaton's Batman Return Delayed To 2023". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  36. ^ Treese, Tyler (November 30, 2021). "Batgirl Set Photo Reveals HBO Max Film Has Begun Shooting". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on November 30, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  37. ^ a b Williams, Craig (August 26, 2021). "Glasgow to double up as Gotham City once again for blockbuster movie Batgirl". Glasgow Live. Archived from the original on August 26, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  38. ^ a b Adams, Sophie (August 26, 2021). "Glasgow set for more Hollywood filming as preparation begins for DC's Batgirl". Glasgow Times. Archived from the original on August 26, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  39. ^ "Production Weekly – Issue 1269 – Thursday, October 21, 2021 / 116 Listings – 25 Pages". Production Weekly. October 20, 2021. Archived from the original on October 20, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2021. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; October 21, 2021 suggested (help)
  40. ^ Anderson, Jenna (November 15, 2021). "Batgirl Lands Doctor Strange 2, Logan Cinematographer John Mathieson". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on November 15, 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  41. ^ Anderson, Jenna (March 31, 2022). "Batgirl Star Leslie Grace Announces Filming Has Wrapped". Comicbook.com. Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  42. ^ Oddo, Marco Vito (September 23, 2021). "'Loki' Composer Natalie Holt Will Score 'Batgirl' Film for HBO Max". Collider. Archived from the original on September 23, 2021. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  43. ^ Fleming, Ryan (October 16, 2021). "'Batgirl': DC Gives First Look At Concept Art For The Live-Action HBO Max Film". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 16, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  44. ^ Haring, Bruce (January 15, 2022). "Leslie Grace Gives First Look At Her 'Batgirl' Costume For Upcoming HBO Max Film". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 15, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  45. ^ a b c Vary, Adam B. (August 2, 2022). "'Batgirl' Film Axed by Warner Bros., Won't Be Released on Any Platform". Variety. Retrieved August 2, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  46. ^ a b c Couch, Aaron (August 2, 2022). "'Batgirl' and 'Scoob!: Holiday Haunt' Scrapped at Warner Bros. Amid Cost-Savings Push". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 2, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  47. ^ a b Kroll, Justin (August 2, 2022). "Warner Bros. Shelves 'Batgirl' With No Plans To Release Theatrically Or On HBO Max". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 2, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  48. ^ Oddo, Marco Vito (August 2, 2022). "'Batgirl' Reportedly Won't Be Released, Despite $90 Million Production". Collider. Archived from the original on August 2, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  49. ^ Vary, Adam B.; Lang, Brent (August 2, 2022). "Why Warner Bros. Killed 'Batgirl': Inside the Decision Not to Release the DC Movie". Variety. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  50. ^ "Leslie Grace Talks 'Batgirl' and Getting 'Rough and Tough' to Play Barbara Gordon (Exclusive)". ET Online. September 7, 2021.
  51. ^ Margot Robbie Excited About Leslie Grace Batgirl Casting Screen Rant August 21, 2021
  52. ^ Behbakht, Andy (April 15, 2022). "Batgirl 2 Is Already Being Discussed, Says Leslie Grace". ScreenRant.
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