The 'Batgirl' Movie Was Never Released by Warner Bros. — What Happened?

There are many Batman movies that have become box office hits. However, the industry doesn't give much attention to Batgirl, the young vigilante who takes matters into her own hands. A movie centered around the DC Comics character was produced by Warner Bros., but it was never released to the public.

What happened to the Batgirl movie? Here's what we know about the cancelled project that was meant to be released in HBO Max. The future of Gotham City pivoted toward a different direction after Leslie Grace lost her chance to shine as Barbara Gordon.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Batgirl was never released because it was used as a tax write-off by Warner Bros. The company was going through a complicated merger at the time, with Warner Bros. and Discovery becoming one entity during the final months of 2022.

Batgirl might never see the light of day. One of the most impressive aspects of the story was how the movie was deep into the post-production process, meaning that most of the scenes needed for it had already been filmed.

Leslie Grace is the actor who was chosen by Warner Bros. to star as the titular hero. Before she was cast as Batgirl, Leslie worked with the studio thanks to In The Heights, the musical adaptation that was given a hybrid release thanks to the pandemic.

It takes a huge effort to become a theatrical hero. The studio even shared the first look at Leslie as Barbara Gordon, back when the company didn't know that they would cancel the movie.

Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, the directors of Batgirl, released a statement after the fate of the movie was revealed (via The Hollywood Reporter): "We are saddened and shocked by the news. As directors, it is critical that our work be shown to audiences, and while the film was far from finished, we wish that fans all over the world would have the opportunity to see and embrace the final film themselves. Maybe one day they will insha’Allah.”

Batgirl is one of the movies Warner Bros. made when they were attempting to tie their entire DC Extended Universe together. The movie was going to feature the return of Michael Keaton as Batman, before the character made his way to the big screen thanks to The Flash.

Michael is one of the most recognizable superhero actors in Hollywood history. The veteran performer wore the cape and cowl in both Batman and Batman Returns, movies that were instrumental in giving the character a dark tone.

That's not where the DC action stops for Batgirl. J.K. Simmons was also going to reprise his role as Commissioner Jim Gordon. In the comic books that inspired the movie, Jim is Barbara's father. The commissioner isn't aware of Barbara's double life as Batgirl, creating a lot of tension between the characters.

J.K.'s portrayal of Commissioner Gordon also appears in Justice League. Batgirl was meant to bring together many corners of the studio's DC Extended Universe.

Batgirl might never get officially released. While the film was in the middle of the post-production process, a final cut was never assembled (via Entertainment Weekly).