This article was originally published on August 4, 2022 and updated on August 5, 2022
As Warner Bros moves to cancel the Batgirl movie despite the completion of filming, the DC Universe's future continues to spiral out of control, begging the question – what the hell is going on?
The DC Comics' movies are certainly a mixed bag; there's no denying that. Thanks to Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale, Warner Bros has a hugely success trilogy under its belt, a trilogy regarded not just as excellent superhero movies, but as classic movies in general.
Closely following The Dark Knight was The Watchmen, a brilliant but underrated film. In the years that followed, the big screen housed the globally panned (even by its star actor Ryan Reynolds) Green Lantern and The Man of Steel (which made a profit of $42million but received incredibly mixed reviews).
Wonder Woman renewed some faith in the studio, though what unfortunately followed was a series of less than stellar movies, by most standards – Batman v Superman, Suicide Squad, and The Justice League.
Despite this continued lack of consistency, we must praise the Joker and The Batman for reminding us how and when Warner Bros' DC dark, grounded pictures excel. Even James Gunn's The Suicide Squad, which is on the opposite end of the tonal spectrum, served a fun medley of flamboyance.
Even though we've been served a strong hand in the last couple of years, faults have continued to present themselves.
First, we had Ben Affleck's decision to leave the franchise, the very public court battle between Aqua Man star Amber Heard and Johnny Depp, Ezra Miller's continued criminal hijinks in Hawaii (amongst other damning allegations and legal troubles), and now, the studio's decision to scrap Batgirl altogether.
Although we've witnessed massive back and forths between directors, producers, actors, the studio, and its fanbase several times, such as with the Zack Snyder of it all, this is the first time a completed movie has been scrapped altogether.
Following a series of supposed failed test screenings, the decision was made to cancel the release of Batgirl both in cinemas and HBO Max, despite the production costing the studio $90million.
What many find strange about the situation is that Warner Bros would take such a significant financial hit on a finished product due to audience reactions, despite calls for Ezra Miller's The Flash to be canceled as a result of their criminal activity.
It is worth noting that the studio did largely ignore continued backlash against Amber Heard's involvement in Aqua Man 2, up until court proceedings came to a close. Where Heard and Miller were and are concerned, it seemed that the WB was willing to hedge its bets against public opinion, but, for some reason, Batgirl will not receive the same treatment.
Following the unceremonious announcement of the project's cancellation, its directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah have since made a statement, sharing that they are "shocked and saddened by the news. We still can't believe it. As directors, it's critical that our work is shown to audiences, and while the film was far from finished, we wish that fans all over the world would have had the opportunity to see and embrace the film themselves. Maybe one day they will insha'Allah."
The pair shared particular praise for Batgirl's star Leslie Grace, "who portrayed Batgirl with so much passion, dedication, and humanity.”
Perhaps this is DC and Warner Bros finally listening to fans' concerns. The company may have been paying attention to the large criticisms being thrown Marvel's way due to Phase 4's disjointed, somewhat lackluster performance so far – or maybe, these rumblings of failure on both sides are indicative of the grip of fatigue on the superhero genre.
It's unlikely that fans will get any real answers, and the fate of The Flash remains in balance, but for now, it looks like DC's cinematic universe will remain in limbo – until The Batman 2 lands in 2025.
