HBO's Maxed Out

These past few years were trying for Warner Bros. First there was the pandemic, which made them bleed money. Then there was the AT&T merger, which was so badly-mismanaged that they were sold to Discovery. And now there’s the mentality of keeping costs low to maximize profits. While the new CEO, David Zaslav, wants to reinvigorate interest in theatres, which wasn’t a priority under AT&T, this has led to several high-profile releases being shelved. Case in point: Batgirl.

Now, this isn’t the only DC project to be shelved. However, it’s definitely the most disappointing and frustrating. For one, it was being directed by the show-runners for Ms. Marvel, Bilall Fallah and Adil El Arbi. Two, In the Heights actress Leslie Grace starred as Batgirl, with Brendan Fraser as the antagonist. And three, it was shelved while one of the directors was out of the country getting married. Factor in that it was ready for release, and that’s $70-$90 million wasted.

Zaslav has stated that this wasn’t personal. To quote him directly:

“We’re not going to launch a movie until it’s ready…We’re not going to launch a movie to make a quarter and we’re not going to put a movie out unless we believe in it.”

Put a pin in that.

I’m not financially savvy, but neither is the internet. That didn’t stop people from stating that “the movie didn’t test well, hence it was scrapped”, or that “no one cared about Batgirl to begin with”. Despite both claims requiring citations, I like Batgirl. She’s my favourite part of Batman: The Animated Series and The Batman, and she’s had several great stories as her wheelchair-bound persona, Oracle. (Even if I’m not a fan of how she ended up that way.) Batgirl’s much more compelling a character than Batman, so seeing her debut movie get canned is upsetting and depressing. Doubly-so because Michael Keaton was returning as Bruce Wayne.

I’m a little weirded out by this movie, in particular, being axed. Not only is the timing sudden, but it’s generated a lot of negative publicity. Many Hollywood figures of note, including James Gunn and Kevin Smith, have called it out, with Batgirl’s actress Leslie Grace thanking her fans for being so supportive. And personally, shelving a finished movie is a bad look. Why not release it? What does WB have to lose?

Returning to Zaslav’s remark, let’s pretend the movie was “bad”. Was it any worse than Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice? Was it any worse than Suicide Squad? Was it even any worse than Man of Steel? Those movies all received theatrical releases, so…

Okay, that was a different time. That doesn’t mean Batgirl shouldn’t have been released, however. It’s not like Warner Bros. hasn’t released bad films during times of financial disarray. They, for example, gave us SCOOB! during the early days of the pandemic, with a now-axed sequel being green-lit. Studios release trash all the time, so why not this too? What makes a film with a Latina lead and directed by two Muslim men different than-I answered my own question...

Before anyone says anything, don’t pretend bigotry wasn’t a factor. I’ve seen how Ms. Marvel was received. I was there when Brie Larson was trashed for blasting gender inequality. I remember how Black Panther and Obi-Wan Kenobi were criticized for having black characters in leading roles. The internet may claim otherwise, but we’re far from true equity.

This goes for the higher-ups too. Because what is it about Batgirl specifically that made it worthy of shelving? Is it because it was “different”? Someone tell that to Joker. Is it because it “wasn’t proven yet”? How do you explain Flashpoint? Is it because it’s “not recognizable”? What about a Batman character could possibly be unrecognizable?

I wouldn’t even be so confused if the aforementioned Flashpoint wasn’t in production for almost 10 years. Nor if its star, Ezra Miller, weren’t a homophobe’s wet dream, given everything the actor’s been accused of. If that’s still happening, then why isn’t Batgirl? Especially if it’s ready for release?

Unlike Miller, Grace isn’t a handful with multiple controversies. She’s well-loved by those who’ve worked with her, and she’s talented. She also really wanted to play Batgirl, and her thank you included stills of her in-costume. Why deprive someone of that passion and enthusiasm? Could there be an underlying motive?

Maybe I’m being overly-presumptuous. Hollywood axes projects for many reasons, not all of them being motivated by bigotry. Zaslav’s also in the tricky position of having a financially destitute studio to steer in the right direction, and not everything will make the final cut. But even so, I think Zaslav made the wrong decision. Batgirl was a passion project with actual people who wanted it released, so the timing is suspicious and unfortunate. I only hope that Zaslav recognizes that now.

But if it’s too late to change anything, perhaps the movie can be released on YouTube for free? I’ve seen weirder, and it’s already been written off, so why not? What’d be the downside?