‘Batgirl’ Cancellation Causes Flurry of Questions About HBO Max’s Future

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The upcoming Batgirl film has reportedly been shelved at HBO Max, prompting followers to ask questions concerning the streaming platform’s future.

HBO Max dad or mum firm Warner Bros. Discovery has determined that the almost $90 million Batman spinoff, which had been anticipated to be launched later this 12 months, will now not be launched on the HBO Max platform, in theaters or on every other platform owned by the corporate, in accordance with a report from The Wrap that was later confirmed by Variety.

Batgirl, which had accomplished filming earlier this 12 months, stars Leslie Grace as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl alongside a supporting forged that features J.Ok. Simmons, Brendan Fraser and Michael Keaton, who had been set to reprise the position of Bruce Wayne/Batman. Executives reportedly determined to axe the movie as a result of they felt it “simply did not work” regardless of expensive reshoots.

Leslie Grace
The launch of the movie ‘Batgirl,’ which was anticipated on HBO Max later this 12 months, has reportedly been canceled. In this mix picture, Leslie Grace attends 2021 Costume Institute Benefit – In America: A Lexicon of Fashion on the Metropolitan Museum of Art on September 13, 2021 in New York City and a billboard for HBO is pictured in Hollywood, California, on December 21, 2020.

The resolution was made following the arrival of latest Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, who’s championing cost-cutting measures and favors releasing movies theatrically as an alternative of on streaming platforms, in accordance with The Hollywood Reporter. The cancellation of Batgirl prompted hypothesis about the way forward for HBO Max on Twitter, together with feedback from those that repeated unconfirmed rumors that the platform itself could also be within the means of getting canceled or restructured.

“Batgirl movie cancelled,” online game designer David Ellis tweeted. “Rumors that HBO Max is getting killed off as a service. What the heck is going on?”

“Okay, here’s the RUMOR re the #WBD presentation on Thursday,” movie critic and YouTuber Grace Randolph tweeted. “#HBOMax will be folded INTO #DiscoveryPlus not vice versa, probably as #HBO tab – getting rid of #HBOMax scripted, overall streaming focusing on unscripted – #HBO stays as is, as a premium cable channel.”

“I have to assume the tax writeoff is more valuable than whatever value HBO Max would get out of having it as an exclusive, but this is so bizarre, and yet another reason to be worried that all the new management from Discovery is agnostic about scripted content,” TV critic Alan Sepinwall tweeted.

“But it exists! You already paid for it! Just put it on HBO Max!” Sepinwall added in a later tweet. “Hell, sell it on VOD! It’s not like they abandoned it at the script stage, or even a few weeks into filming. It is d-o-n-e.”

Many additionally commented on the purportedly poor high quality of the movie being the explanation it was faraway from the discharge schedule.

“Almost done and not releasing it ANYWHERE???” tweeted commentator and producer Morgan Tremaine. “There’s no way Batgirl could be SOOO bad that it’s worth eating the entire production cost. Our opinion of DC films isn’t that high, believe me. And also… HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO BRENDAN FRASER??”

“Spoke to people that saw #Batgirl and they said it was a huge disappointment,” tweeted Steven Weintraub, editor-in-chief of Collider. “Also that the costumes looked cheap especially Keaton’s Batman costume. I figured WB would dump it on HBO Max but looks like we will never see it.”

Keaton is predicted to return to the position of Batman within the upcoming movie The Flash, which remains to be set to be launched subsequent 12 months regardless of a collection of cases of alleged abuse by star Ezra Miller. Some commenters questioned the choice to cancel Batgirl whereas nonetheless planning to maneuver ahead with releasing The Flash with Miller within the starring position.

“Warner Bros cancels Batgirl but they’re all in on The Flash with Ezra Miller. All of this is going to be a disaster,” author Wajahat Ali tweeted.

“How on Earth is the ‘Batgirl’ movie being completely scrapped before ‘The Flash,’ which stars a literal psychopath,” tweeted author Joshua Axelrod.

“Ezra Miller on the run after being creepy with kids — The Flash is still on track,” internet developer Mike Beasley tweeted. “Morbius was released TWICE – How bad was Batgirl????”

The $40 million animated film Scoob!: Holiday Haunt, which had additionally been set for an HBO Max launch, has been canceled as properly, in accordance with The Hollywood Reporter.

Newsweek reached out to HBO Max for remark.

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